Chronic diseases take years to develop and go unnoticed for a long time. Initially mild and underestimated symptoms may, however, indicate serious changes taking place in the body and lead to permanent he alth loss or even death. What are the types of chronic diseases? What are the causes and risk factors for their development?

Chronic diseasesare one of the most common causes of death in the world. According to the data of the World He alth Organization included in the Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2022 report - in 2016, chronic diseases contributed to 71% of all deaths, i.e. up to 41 million. Among the dead, 15 million were prematurely dead, that is, aged 30-70 years. The most common cause of death was cardiovascular disease (37%), followed by cancer (16%).

Features typical of chronic diseases are:

  • symptoms that last for at least 3 months or recurring frequently
  • slow onset and low severity of symptoms
  • incurable - only symptomatic treatment is possible

Contents:

  1. Chronic diseases - risk factors
  2. Chronic diseases - examples
  3. Chronic diseases - characteristics

Chronic diseases - risk factors

The causes of chronic diseases in many cases remain unclear, but there are many risk factors that predispose to the disease. These include:

  • alcohol abuse
  • smoking
  • unhe althy diet with plenty of s alt and saturated fat, low in vegetables and fruit
  • lack of physical activity
  • living in a zone with high levels of air pollution

Chronic diseases - examples

Chronic diseases include:

  • cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and cerebrovascular disease, including stroke
  • cancer
  • chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • diabetes
  • obesity
  • osteoporosis
  • autoimmune diseases
  • epilepsy
  • HIV / AIDS
  • chronic kidney disease

Chronic diseases - characteristics

  • Heart failure

Heart failure is a condition in which the cardiac output capacity is reduced in relation to the tissue needs. Heart failure can affect both the right and the left ventricle.

Left ventricular failure is manifested by dyspnea at rest or exertion, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and cough. Right ventricular failure is evidenced by edema usually located in the ankles, anorexia and constipation.

  • Coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease is a broad term that includes all states of ischemic heart disease. The typical symptom of most of these conditions is chest pain, usually retrosternal. There may also be abdominal pain and nausea.

  • Hypertension

Hypertension occurs when systolic blood pressure exceeds 140 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure exceeds 90 mm Hg. The disease often has no symptoms. In some cases, you experience headaches, sleep disturbances and easy fatigue.

  • Stroke

A stroke is a sudden onset of focal or generalized dysfunction of the brain due to disturbance of the cerebral blood flow. Symptoms depend on the location of the stroke focus. Often there are paresis, sensory disturbances, epileptic seizures or impaired mobility of the eyeballs, and amblyopia.

  • Nowotwory

Neoplasms are a very broad group of diseases, divided into benign and malignant neoplasms. According to data from the World He alth Organization, in 2022 the most common cancers were lung cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Regarding the mortality rate of these cancers, the statistics are different because the most common cancers causing death were lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and stomach cancer.

  • Asthma

Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation in the airways. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and a tight feeling in the chest. Airflow limitation is caused by the contraction of the bronchial muscles and the swelling of the bronchial mucosa. There are two basic types of asthma: allergic asthma and non-allergic asthma.

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the permanent limitation of airflow through the respiratory tract. She is characterized by a chronic cough,shortness of breath, getting tired easily. The onset of the disease is closely related to exposure to harmful particles or gases, such as tobacco smoke. Genetically determined deficiency of α1-antitrypsin is also a rare risk factor.

  • Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. The two main types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes, which is autoimmune in nature, and the more common type 2 diabetes, which is caused by environmental factors, although it can also be genetically determined.

Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes causes many serious complications, damaging and leading to failure of many organs, including the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels.

  • Obesity

Obesity is a disease associated with excess body fat. The BMI limit above which a person is considered obese is 30.

Additionally, obesity can be divided into:

due to the BMI index
    • 1st degree - BMI 30.00-34.99
    • 2nd degree - BMI 35.00 - 39.99
    • 2nd degree - BMI over 40
  • Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease in which the mineral density of the bone tissue is reduced, therefore increasing the risk of fractures. Primary osteoporosis develops in postmenopausal women, less often also in men, while secondary osteoporosis occurs as a result of various pathological conditions and the use of certain medications.

  • Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are a wide group of diseases whose pathogenesis is based on the attack of the body's own cells by the immune system.

Examples of these include: ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus, Leśniewski-Crohn's disease, celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a chronic disease affecting the brain manifested by the occurrence of seizures. During seizures, there may be loss of consciousness and convulsions, but there are also a number of less characteristic symptoms such as difficulty in contact with the environment, or seizures without loss of consciousness.

  • HIV / AIDS

HIV is the virus that leads to the development of a person infected with AIDS. When infected with the virus, the disease may resemble infectious mononucleosis. The first stage takes about two weeks. This is followed by an asymptomatic phase that may last from 1.5years to 15 years. This is followed by the stage of persistent generalized lymphadenopathy, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, feels chronically tired and suffers from recurring infections.

The last phase of the disease is symptomatic. A significant reduction in the number of lymphocytes makes it easy to develop opportunistic infections, cancer and other disease syndromes.

  • Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease is an impairment in the function or structure of the kidneys that lasts longer than three months. There are five phases in chronic kidney disease. The last stage is end-stage renal failure and requires renal replacement therapy. One of the most common causes of chronic kidney disease is diabetic nephropathy.

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