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A chronic condition (also known as chronic disease or chronic illness) 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.
Elisabeth Steubesand, 105 years old, the oldest citizen of Cologne and a high-risk individual. A high-risk individual, high-risk person, or high-risk population is a human being or beings living with an increased risk for severe illness due to age, medical condition, pregnancy/post-pregnant conditions, geographical location, or a combination of these risk factors.
The risk of death is positively associated with individuals with greater number of chronic conditions and reversely associated with socioeconomic status. [19] People with multiple long-term conditions may have a four-fold increase in the risk of death in comparison with people without MLTC irrespective of their socioeconomic status. [16]
Risk factors such as a person's background; lifestyle and environment are known to increase the likelihood of certain non-communicable diseases. They include age, gender, genetics, exposure to air pollution, and behaviors such as smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity which can lead to hypertension and obesity, in turn leading to increased risk of many NCDs.
In 2014, it was projected that by 2023 that the number of chronic disease cases would increase by 42%, resulting in $4.2 trillion in treatment and lost economic output. [136] They are also among the top ten leading causes of mortality. [137] Chronic diseases are driven by risk factors that are largely preventable.
Comorbidity means that one 'index' condition is the focus of attention, and others are viewed in relation to this. In contrast, multimorbidity describes someone having two or more long-term (chronic) conditions without any of them holding priority over the others.
The meaning of health has evolved over time. In keeping with the biomedical perspective, early definitions of health focused on the theme of the body's ability to function; health was seen as a state of normal function that could be disrupted from time to time by disease.
Specific to public health policy, a determinant is a health risk that is general, abstract, related to inequalities, and difficult for an individual to control. [2] [3] [4] For example, poverty is known to be a determinant of an individual's standard of health. Risk factors may be used to identify high-risk people.