In medicine Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Before scientific medicine, healing arts were practised in accordance with alchemical treatments and ritual practices that developed out of religious and cultural traditions, a chronic disease is a disease A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal disfunctions, such as autoimmune diseases that is long-lasting or recurrent. The term chronic describes the course In medicine, a course of medication is a period of continuous treatment with a drug, sometimes with variable dosage. Treatment with some drugs should not end abruptly. Instead, their course should end with a tapering dosage of the disease, or its rate of onset and development. A chronic course In medicine, a course of medication is a period of continuous treatment with a drug, sometimes with variable dosage. Treatment with some drugs should not end abruptly. Instead, their course should end with a tapering dosage is distinguished from a recurrent In mathematics, a recurrence relation is an equation that recursively defines a sequence: each term of the sequence is defined as a function of the preceding terms course; recurrent diseases relapse A relapse occurs when a person is affected again by a condition that affected them in the past. This could be a medical or psychological condition such as depression, an eating disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, multiple sclerosis, cancer or an addiction to a drug repeatedly, with periods of remission A cure is the end of a medical condition. The term may refer specifically to a substance or procedure that ends the medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle, or even a philosophical mindset that helps a person suffer. It may also refer to the state of being healed, or cured in between. As an adjective, chronic can refer to a persistent and lasting medical condition. Chronicity is usually applied to a condition that lasts more than three months. The opposite to chronic is acute This adjective is part of the definition of several diseases and is, therefore, incorporated in their name, for instance, severe acute respiratory syndrome, acute leukemia.
The definition of a disease or causative condition may depend on the disease being chronic, and the term chronic will often, but not always appear in the description:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome Сhronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name given to a variably debilitating disorder or disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue unrelated to exertion and not substantially relieved by rest, and accompanied by the presence of other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months. The disorder may also be referred to as post-viral
- Chronic osteoarticular diseases: rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium (synovitis) secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of pannus in the synovium. The pathology, osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion. A variety of causes—hereditary, developmental,
- Chronic respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of two commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed. This leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs causing shortness of breath. In contrast to asthma, the limitation of airflow is poorly reversible and, asthma Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath
- Chronic renal failure Chronic kidney disease , also known as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years. The symptoms of worsening kidney function are unspecific, and might include feeling generally unwell and experiencing a reduced appetite. Often, chronic kidney disease is diagnosed as a result of screening of
- Diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus —often simply referred to as diabetes—is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar (glucose) level, either because the body doesn't produce enough insulin, or because body cells don't properly respond to the insulin that is produced. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which enables body cells to absorb
- Chronic hepatitis Hepatitis implies inflammation of the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar (ἧπαρ), the root being hepat- (ἡπατ-), meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation" (c. 1727). The condition can be self-limiting, healing on its own, or can
- Autoimmune diseases, like ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or colon, that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores, in the colon. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset, lupus erythematosus Lupus erythematosus is a connective tissue disease. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs . Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. Lupus occurs more frequently in women than in
- Cardiovascular diseases Heart disease or cardiovascular diseases is the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system (as used in MeSH C14), it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis (arterial disease). These conditions have similar causes,: heart failure Heart failure is generally defined as inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It has various diagnostic criteria, and the term heart failure is often incorrectly used to describe other cardiac-related illnesses, such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) or cardiac arrest, ischemic cardiopathy Ischaemic or ischemic heart disease , or myocardial ischaemia, is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries). Its risk increases with age, smoking, hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol levels), diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), cerebrovascular disease Cerebrovascular disease is a group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain. Hypertension is the most important cause; it damages the blood vessel lining, endothelium, exposing the underlying collagen where platelets aggregate to initiate a repairing process which is not always complete and perfect
- Neoplasic diseases not amenable to be cured
- Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered. Osteoporosis is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in women as a bone mineral density 2.5 standard
- Cancer Cancer /ˈkænsər/ (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). These three malignant properties
Many chronic diseases require chronic care management Chronic care management encompasses the oversight and education activities conducted by professionals to help patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, multiple sclerosis and sleep apnea learn to understand their condition and live successfully with it. This term is equivalent to disease management for chronic for effective long-term treatment.
Prevalence
Nearly one in two Americans (133 million) has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another,[1] and chronic illnesses cause about 70% of deaths in the United States and take up about 75% of the costs each year.[2] However, most of these people are not actually disabled, as their medical conditions do not impair normal activities. According to this report, the most common chronic conditions are high blood pressure Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated. It is the opposite of hypotension. It is classified as either primary (essential) or secondary. About 90-95% of cases are termed "primary hypertension", which refers to high blood pressure for which no medical cause, arthritis There are over 100 different forms of arthritis. The most common form, osteoarthritis is a result of trauma to the joint, infection of the joint, or age. Other arthritis forms are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and autoimmune diseases in which the body attacks itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection, respiratory diseases like emphysema Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lung that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD . Emphysema is called an obstructive, and high cholesterol Hypercholesterolemia is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is not a disease but a metabolic derangement that can be secondary to many diseases and can contribute to many forms of disease, most notably cardiovascular disease. It is closely related to the terms "hyperlipidemia" (elevated levels of lipids) and ". That number is projected to increase by more than one percent per year by 2030, resulting in an estimated chronically ill population of 171 million.[1]
60% are between the ages of 18 and 64.[1] 90% of seniors have at least one chronic disease, and 77% of them have two or more chronic diseases.[3]
See also
- Acute (medicine) This adjective is part of the definition of several diseases and is, therefore, incorporated in their name, for instance, severe acute respiratory syndrome, acute leukemia
- Chronic pain Chronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and researchers have placed the transition from acute to
- Course (medicine) In medicine, a course of medication is a period of continuous treatment with a drug, sometimes with variable dosage. Treatment with some drugs should not end abruptly. Instead, their course should end with a tapering dosage
- Disease management (health) Disease management is defined as "a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant." It is the process of reducing healthcare costs and/or improving quality of life for individuals by preventing or minimizing the effects of a disease,
- Dynamic treatment regimes In medical research, a dynamic treatment regime is a set of sequential decision rules defining what actions should be taken to treat a patient based on information observed up to that point. Also referred to as adaptive treatment strategies, dynamic treatment regimes attempt to individualize treatment for patients while operationalizing clinical
- Medical tattoo
- Virtual Wards A virtual ward is a cadre for providing support in the community to people with the most complex medical and social needs. The concept was developed in Croydon Primary Care Trust - and virtual wards are now being introduced in several parts of the UK (including Croydon, Brent, Hillingdon and Bracknell PCTs). Virtual wards use the systems and
References
- ^ a b c Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Partnership for Solutions: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (September 2004 Update). "Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care". Free full-text.
- ^ National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Chronic Disease Overview. CDC.
- ^ The Growing Burden of Chronic Disease in American, Public Health Reports / May–June 2004 / Volume 119, Gerard Anderson, PhD
Categories: Medical terms
Personal tools
- New features
- Log in / create account
Namespaces
Variants
Views
Actions
Navigation
- Main page No Line on the Horizon is the twelfth studio album by the rock band U2. Released on 27 February 2009, it was the group's first album since How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb , marking the longest gap between studio albums of U2's career. Work on the record began in 2006 with producer Rick Rubin, but most of the material from those sessions was
- Contents A portal is an introductory page for a given topic. It complements the main article of the subject by introducing the reader to key articles, images, and categories that further describe the subject. They also include to-do lists that are used mostly by Wikipedia's editors
- Featured content Featured content represents the best that Wikipedia has to offer. These are the articles, pictures, and other contributions that showcase the polished result of the collaborative efforts that drive Wikipedia. All featured content undergoes a thorough review process to ensure that it meets the highest standards and can serve as an example of our
- Current events Worldwide current events | Topic-specific: Science and technology | Sports
- Random article
Interaction
- About Wikipedia
- Community portal
- Recent changes
- Contact Wikipedia
- Donate to Wikipedia
- Help
Toolbox
- What links here
- Related changes
- Upload file
- Special pages
- Permanent link
- Cite this page
Print/export
- Create a book
- Download as PDF
- Printable version
Languages
- Afrikaans
- العربية
- Català
- Deutsch
- Español
- Euskara
- Français
- Interlingua
- Kapampangan
- Nederlands
- 日本語
- Norsk (bokmål)
- Polski
- Português
- Simple English
- Suomi
- Svenska
- Tagalog
- Türkçe
- ייִדיש