Chronic illnesses. Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention.

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.

Chronic diseases tend to occur in older adults and can usually be controlled but not cured. The most common types

of chronic diseases are cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis.

Chronic diseases—also known as non-communicable diseases—generally progress slowly over a long time. According

to the World Health Organization (WHO), the “big 5” chronic diseases are diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and

chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, and stroke.

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.

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Hypertension, a major contributor to atherosclerosis, is the most common chronic disease of older adults (23).

Isolated systolic hypertension is particularly common among older adults and is associated with mortality even at advanced ages.

A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a

disease that comes with time. 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, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lyme disease, autoimmune

diseases, genetic disorders, and some viral diseases such as hepatitis C and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

A lifelong illness because it ends in death is a terminal illness. It is possible and not unexpected for an

illness to change in definition from terminal to chronic. Diabetes and HIV for example were once terminal yet are

now considered chronic due to the availability of insulin for diabetics and daily drug treatment for individuals with

HIV allows these individuals to live while managing symptoms. Chronic illnesses.

In medicine, chronic conditions are distinguished from those that are acute. An acute condition typically affects one

portion of the body and responds to treatment. A chronic condition, on the other hand, usually affects multiple areas

of the body, is not fully responsive to treatment, and persists for an extended period.

Chronic conditions may have periods of remission or relapse where the disease temporarily goes away or

subsequently reappears. 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.