You might have heard these terms being used by medical professionals when communicating with you, someone else or on TV! What do they really mean?
Broadly speaking, acute conditions are those that occur suddenly, have immediate or rapidly developing symptoms, and are limited in their duration (e.g., the flu). Chronic conditions, on the other hand, are described as those that are long-lasting and develop and potentially worsen over time (e.g., cancer).
Acute Illnesses
Acute illnesses usually follow this course of becoming ill, getting worse for a while, treatment or observation of the symptoms and then getting better. In these cases, the healthcare provider knows what action to take to treat the illness and there is also a reliance on the body’s ability to heal itself.
Chronic Illnesses
Chronic illnesses, on the other hand, are not so easily diagnosed and treated. They often come on slowly and continue to develop slowly. For example, a person may feel slight twinges of pain or occasional stiffening of joints at the onset of arthritis. Gradually these symptoms may increase until the pain and stiffness make it difficult for the individual to get around or easily handle everyday tasks. In the case of diabetes, early symptoms may be mild, such as frequent urination or feeling very thirsty. Some people may feel no symptoms at all. As the disease progresses, however, complications can develop if it is not managed. These complications include kidney disease, neuropathy and high blood pressure.
Another Difference?
We are used to enjoying full recovery when we suffer from an acute illness. Full recovery is not a characteristic of chronic disease, however. With chronic illness there are symptoms that are caused by the illness itself, such as pain and fatigue. There are also symptoms that are caused by other symptoms! For example, if a person suffers from pain caused by his chronic illness he may also, in time, suffer from depression, especially if the pain isn’t relieved through treatment.
Conclusion
Because of the complicated nature of chronic disease, it is necessary to find ways to alleviate symptoms in order to improve quality of life. While cures are not always straight-forward, self-management of symptoms can be. Are you in any pain or discomfort, setup a consultation with our highly sought after pharmacists with us today
