What is the difference between a chronic condition and a chronic illness?

Asked by: Lauriane Barrows  |  Last update: September 24, 2023
Score: 4.2/5 (53 votes)

Nature of conditions
Chronic disease is defined on the basis of the biomedical disease classification, and includes diabetes, asthma, and depression. Chronic illness is the personal experience of living with the affliction that often accompanies chronic disease.

What is a chronic condition or illness?

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. The most common types of chronic disease are cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis.

What are types of chronic conditions?

Chronic Diseases and Conditions
  • ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
  • Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias.
  • Arthritis.
  • Asthma.
  • Cancer.
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
  • Cystic Fibrosis.

What are 3 chronic illnesses?

Common chronic illnesses
  • heart disease.
  • stroke.
  • lung cancer.
  • colorectal cancer.
  • depression.
  • type 2 diabetes.
  • arthritis.
  • osteoporosis.

What is chronic illness in insurance?

In insurance terms, a chronic illness is usually defined as a permanent condition that inhibits you from performing at least two of the six basic "activities of daily living": Ambulating. Continence. Feeding. Dressing.

Acute and Chronic Conditions: What's The Difference?

18 related questions found

Does chronic illness count as a disability?

A disability is a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities. Disabilities can be congenital (such as cystic fibrosis) or acquired (such as lupus). A chronic health condition can be a disability, but not all disabilities are chronic health concerns.

What medical conditions prevent you from getting life insurance?

Life insurance companies base their decisions to approve or deny coverage on risk. So, there is a chance that you may be denied life insurance if you have an illness like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or HIV/AIDS. You may also be denied if you have a history of mental illness.

What are the 8 chronic conditions?

The 8 conditions are arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and mental health conditions.

Is anxiety a chronic disease?

Clinical and epidemiological data suggest that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic illness causing patients to suffer for many years leading to significant distress in daily life functioning. The literature suggests the several conclusions.

What are the 7 most common chronic diseases?

The Top 7 Most Common Chronic Diseases in the U.S.
  1. Heart Disease. Heart disease is an umbrella term that includes different heart conditions. ...
  2. Cancer. Cancer comes in many forms and can affect any part of the body. ...
  3. Chronic Lung Disease. ...
  4. Stroke. ...
  5. Alzheimer's. ...
  6. Diabetes. ...
  7. Chronic Kidney Disease.

What is most often considered a chronic condition?

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.

What are the 10 major chronic condition groups?

AIHW commonly reports on 10 major chronic condition groups: arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, mental health conditions and osteoporosis.

What are the big 5 chronic diseases?

Chronic diseases—also known as noncommunicable 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 [1].

What is the difference between a condition and a disease?

Condition simply indicates a state of health, whether well or ill; a condition conferring illness might be further classified as a disease or a disorder—however, condition might be used in place of disease or disorder when a value-neutral term is desired.

Is asthma considered a chronic illness?

Overview. Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways in the lungs. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing.

Is obesity a chronic disease?

Obesity is a common, serious, and costly chronic disease of adults and children that continues to increase in the United States. Obesity is putting a strain on American families, affecting overall health, health care costs, productivity, and military readiness.

Is depression considered a chronic disease?

Depression is also a chronic illness. It causes persistent feelings of sadness, apathy, or hopelessness, and prevents someone from finding pleasure in activities they once enjoyed. Depression can also cause physical symptoms, such as fatigue, appetite changes, and sleeping too much or not enough.

Is PTSD a chronic disease?

PTSD is a chronic, fluctuating disorder affecting the mental quality of life in older adults.

What chronic diseases are linked to anxiety?

published in theMedical Journal of Australia, “anxiety is more common in people with heart disease, stroke and cancer than in the general population.” This information indicates that specific chronic conditions increase susceptibility to anxiety struggles and disorders.

What chronic conditions have no cure?

Some of the common medical conditions of people requiring care at the end of life include:
  • cancer.
  • dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
  • advanced lung, heart, kidney and liver disease.
  • stroke and other neurological diseases, including motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.
  • Huntington's disease.
  • muscular dystrophy.

What are the most common multiple chronic conditions?

In 2012, 25.5% of US adults had multiple (≥2) diagnosed chronic conditions among 10 different conditions: arthritis, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease, current asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, hypertension, stroke, and weak or failing kidneys (1,2).

What are the signs and symptoms of chronic conditions?

Chronic illnesses have disease-specific symptoms, but may also bring invisible symptoms like pain, fatigue and mood disorders. Pain and fatigue may become a frequent part of your day. Along with your illness, you probably have certain things you have to do take care of yourself, like take medicine or do exercises.

What are five things not covered by life insurance?

What are five things not covered by life insurance? The five things not covered by life insurance are preexisting conditions, accidents that occur while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, suicide, criminal activity, and death due to a high-risk activity, such as skydiving, and war or acts of terrorism.

What denies you from getting life insurance?

People are typically denied life insurance because they fall into a high-risk category. This is often due to health challenges like diabetes, obesity or a previous diagnosis of serious disease.

Who gets denied life insurance?

A life insurance application may be denied if you have high-risk medical conditions, dangerous hobbies, or if you left important information off your application. You may also be ineligible for certain policies due to advanced age.