What is Acute Illness?
Acute illness occurs abruptly. They occur over a prolonged period. It can be solve as quickly on its own or with medical treatment. Sometimes it can also be fast-acting and severe enough that the patient will not survive. Acute illness is due to a virus or an infection, but can also be caused by an injury.
Exercise can help recover from different acute illness.
What is a Chronic Illness?
A chronic disease is a disease that stays for a longer period/lifetime. Chronic illness are fatal.Treatment is mostly not effective rather than treatment prevention is considered to be beneficial. The prevention of chronic illness depends on diet, physical activities, avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, and not smoking.
Early diagnosis is essential and helpful in managing chronic disease and can help in control of it.
Difference Between Acute Illness and Chronic Illness
- Acute illness does not have harmful effects as it stays for a shorter period, whereas chronic illness has a negative effect and is dangerous which can lead or affect different parts of the body.
- Acute illness develops abruptly and lasts for a short time whereas chronic illness develops slowly and takes time for development.
- Acute illness can get treated by itself or by prescribed medicine from an expert, whereas chronic illness cannot get cured. It can only be controlled.
- Acute illness is mainly due to germs or injuries, but chronic illness is caused by daily habits, genes, poor diet.
- Acute illness does not cause any damage to the body but chronic illness damages the body of the person.
Comparison Between Acute Illness and Chronic Illness
| Parameters of comparison | Acute illness | Chronic illness |
| Time frame | It last for a few days or a week. | It last for a months to years or lifetime. |
| Causes | It is caused by injuries like while playing, working or from and accident cause by automobile or by falling. It is also cause by poor hygiene, virus . | It is cause by daily unhealthy activities such as eating junk food, consumption of excessive alcohol, smoking everyday. Sometimes it is also caused by genetics. |
| Symptoms | Acute disease comes on abruptly, and are accompanied by distinct symptoms that require urgent or short–term care. | Chronic condition are slower in development, may progress over time, and may have any number of warning signs or might have show no sign at all. |
| Treatment | It can get treated with simple courses of antibiotics or other prescription medication. It can also be self-treated | Chronic illness cannot get cured. It can only be controlled. |
| Example | Burn, flu, heart attack, common cold, broken bone, strep throat | Depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke. |
References
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/17423953050010010801