Difference Between Acute Illnesses and Chronic Illnesses
It can be said that a disease is an ailment of the organism that affects an organ, extremity or the organism in general and that can originate from different causes. There are also countless diseases, classified according to type, origin, organ or area that affect or the way it develops and even the duration. Among them we find acute and chronic diseases, which we are going to define clearly and precisely to later establish the differences that exist between them:
Acute diseases
Acute diseases are those pathologies that usually appear suddenly, generating deep and rapid deterioration of the body in general or of a part of it. Acute diseases are characterized by the fact that they usually appear suddenly as a result of trauma or damage caused by some pathogenic organism such as microbes, viruses, bacteria or parasites; They present signs and symptoms that can be observed almost immediately (except in the case of some diseases that have a longer incubation time), which is why they require immediate and prolonged invasive or non-invasive treatments. In most cases, acute diseases usually disappear with the application of the required treatments. Acute diseases are conditions that can be more or less dangerous to general health, but that begin and end in a short time and are resolved either with total cure from specific treatments or in less desirable cases with the death of the patient. An example of an acute disease is pneumonia, which is a lung infection caused by different pathogens that causes inflammation of the alveolar spaces of the lungs; When applying the required treatment and taking the necessary care, pneumonia usually disappears.
Chronic diseases
Chronic diseases are those that develop gradually and progressively, usually over a long period of time. It usually presents symptoms and signs in the first instances but these are usually intermittent, so in the early stages of the disease they are usually not diagnosed. With the passage of time and as the disease progresses in the body, the signs and symptoms become more and more frequent and that is when the diagnosis stage is passed to proceed with the application of the necessary treatments. Patients affected by chronic diseases can take months or even years to recover, but in many cases, the person dies as a result of prolonged conditions of the body or of some organ that results in the general deterioration of the body.
As can be seen, there are important differences between acute and chronic diseases, which in summary are:
- Acute diseases appear suddenly and the symptoms and signs can be very intense, while in the case of chronic diseases, they develop gradually and the signs and symptoms worsen as the disease develops in the body. .
- Acute illnesses usually disappear quickly with proper treatment, while chronic illnesses usually require longer treatment time to achieve full recovery.