With the CMMS, the term broadly describes a disease for healthcare utilization purposes. There is currently no one consistent definition of either acute or chronic that fits all purposes.
This label helps determine the type of treatment necessary, how long treatment can be expected to last, and if treatment is appropriate. The general definition of an acute illness is one that is expected to be brief. Typically, the label of acute illness means an issue is expected to resolve in less than six months.
For example, atherosclerosis can lead to a heart attack or stroke if steps aren't taken to reduce arterial plaque build-up or reduce blood pressure. With early diagnosis and treatment, some chronic disorders may remain subclinical (without readily observed symptoms) and never manifest acutely.
With early diagnosis and treatment, some chronic disorders may remain subclinical (without readily observed symptoms) and never manifest acutely. These include infections like HIV or conditions like hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), which are often detected early and treated before any symptoms emerge.
Overview. Acute conditions are severe and sudden in onset. This could describe anything from a broken bone to an asthma attack. A chronic condition, by contrast is a long-developing syndrome, such as osteoporosis or asthma. Note that osteoporosis, a chronic condition, may cause a broken bone, an acute condition.
An acute disease appears suddenly and lasts for a short amount of time. This is different from chronic diseases, which develop gradually and remain for months on end. Some examples include the influenza virus and the common cold. Acute diseases can include these common symptoms: Fever.
(KRAH-nik dih-ZEEZ) A disease or condition that usually lasts for 3 months or longer and may get worse over time. Chronic diseases tend to occur in older adults and can usually be controlled but not cured.
Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.
A disease in which symptoms are less pronounced but more prolonged than in an acute disease, intermediate between acute and chronic disease.
In medicine, describing a disease as acute denotes that it is of short duration and, as a corollary of that, of recent onset.
Acute often also connotes an illness that is of short duration, rapidly progressive, and in need of urgent care. "Acute" is a measure of the time scale of a disease and is in contrast to "subacute" and "chronic." "Subacute" indicates longer duration or less rapid change.
Key points on Acute and Chronic Diseases Acute diseases, if it persists for a long time, can be fatal, otherwise can be treated with certain medications. Common cold, typhoid, jaundice, cholera, and burns, are some of the acute diseases. Chronic diseases include diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis, arthritis, etc.
Acute care is a level of health care in which a patient is treated for a brief but severe episode of illness, for conditions that are the result of disease or trauma, and during recovery from surgery.
Communicable diseases, also known as infectious diseases or transmissible diseases, are illnesses that result from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic (capable of causing disease) biologic agents in an individual human or other animal host.
Acquired diseases are those diseases which one individual picks up after birth. Biology.
Most chronic diseases are caused by key risk behaviors: Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Poor nutrition, including diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in sodium and saturated fats. Physical inactivity.
General Definitions. Phases of Illness. Flaws in Definitions. Clearing Up Confusion. Broadly speaking, acute conditions 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 long-lasting.
Persists beyond six months. Acute does not mean new, although many newly diagnosed diseases present with acute symptoms. Nor does it mean that symptoms are severe. It simply means that symptoms have developed quickly and that some sort of medical intervention is needed.
With the HHS, chronic is used to describe a public health concern for surveillance purposes. With the CMMS, the term broadly describes a disease for healthcare utilization purposes. There is currently no one consistent definition of either acute or chronic that fits all purposes.
Acute. Symptoms develop quickly. Expected to be brief; typically resolves in less than six months. Chronic.
An acute or chronic diagnosis is not necessarily fixed. An acute condition can sometimes become chronic, while a chronic condition may suddenly present with acute symptoms. Certain infections, for example, will progress from an acute phase (in which symptoms appear and resolve after the initial exposure) to a chronic phase ...
Similarly, chronic should not be construed to mean fatal or something that will inherently shorten your life. It simply indicates that the condition is not curable. Chronic conditions can often be managed (like diabetes or high blood pressure ).
Chronic conditions, on the other hand, are long-lasting. They develop and potentially worsen over time (e.g., Crohn's disease). Maskot / Getty Images. These descriptions can vary somewhat, though, depending on who you speak to or what sources you reference.