Chronic condition

A chronic condition, also known as chronic disease or chronic illness, is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include diabetes, functional gastrointestinal disorder, eczema, arthritis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders and some viral diseases such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Chronic illnesses are sometimes contrasted with terminal illnesses, which will end the affected person’s life. It is possible for an illness to change in definition from terminal to chronic as medicine progresses. For example, type 1 diabetes and HIV were once terminal, but are now considered chronic illnesses due to the availability of daily medications which allow these individuals to live while managing symptoms.

In medicine, chronic conditions are distinguished from those that are acute. An acute condition typically affects a person for a few days to several weeks. On the other hand, a chronic condition persists for an extended period of time or is lifelong, even with treatment. Chronic conditions may have periods of remission, where a person has few or no symptoms, and relapse, where symptoms reappear. Periods of remission and relapse are commonly discussed when referring to substance abuse disorders, which some consider to fall under the category of chronic condition.

Chronic conditions are often non-communicable diseases, which are not caused by an infection and cannot spread between people. However, some chronic conditions are caused by transmissible infections such as HIV/AIDS. 63% of all deaths worldwide are from chronic conditions. Chronic diseases constitute a major cause of mortality, and the World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 38 million deaths a year to non-communicable diseases. In the United States approximately 40% of adults have at least two chronic conditions. Having more than one chronic condition is referred to as multimorbidity.