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In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. The term chronic describes the course of the disease, or its rate of onset and development. A chronic course is distinguished from a recurrent course; recurrent diseases relapse repeatedly, with periods of remission 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 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
- Chronic osteoarticular diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis
- Chronic respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma
- Chronic renal failure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Chronic Hepatitis
- Autoimmune diseases, like lupus erythematosus
- Cardiovascular diseases: heart failure, ischemic cardiopathy, cerebrovascular disease
- Neoplasic diseases not amenable to be cured
- Osteoporosis
Many chronic diseases require chronic care management for effective long-term treatment.
See also
- Acute (medicine)
- Homeopathic theory of chronic diseases
- Chronic pain
- Course (medicine)
- Disease management (health)
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 27 May 2008, at 13:28.
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