Nature of Chronic Illness – This course is designed to understand the concept of community health nursing: nurses’ roles and interventions in family health, school health, occupational health, environmental health, elderly health care, gender issues, disaster management, and principles and terminology of epidemiology. The aim of the course is to acquire knowledge and skills in community health nursing.
Nature of Chronic Illness
A chronic illness is defined as any disease that develops slowly and lasts a long time. Examples of common chronic illnesses are diabetes, arthritis, congestive heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.
Or,
A chronic condition is a human 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.
Characteristics/Nature of Chronic Illness:
The following are generally descriptive of chronic illnesses:
- Onset is commonly gradual
- Duration is lengthy and indefinite
- Cause is usually multiple and can be a combination of genetic and environmental factors
- Diagnosis is often uncertain; getting an accurate diagnosis can be a long, difficult process
- There is no cure and requires management over time
Examples of Chronic Illnesses
The following are some common chronic diseases:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Heart disease
- Hereditary Hemo chromatosis
- Hypertension
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Osteoporosis
- Sickle-cell disease
- Renal disease
Difference between Acute Illness & Chronic Illness:
| Basis for comparison | Acute disease | Chronic disease |
| Meaning | Such disease which occurs suddenly and last for a short period is called as acute disease. | A chronic illness is defined as any disease that develops slowly and lasts a long time. |
| It appears | Suddenly. | Gradually |
| Time span | It lasts for a short time, usually few days to the week. | It lasts for longer or lifetime also. |
| Effects | They do not cause long term or ill effects on human. | They may cause severe long term effects on human health, which may be life-threatening too. |
| Examples | Cold, burn, breaking of bone, typhoid, jaundice, cholera, burn, strep throat, etc. | Diabetes, arthritis, cancer, tuberculosis, heart disease, asthma attack |
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