Chronic Diseases

Americans still making unhealthy choices, CDC reports

(HealthDay)—The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or ...

Health created 20 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study shows COPD is associated with significant and persistent pain

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is primarily associated with the respiratory symptoms that are its hallmark, but in fact, patients who struggle with the disease also experience significant amounts of chronic ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Do men's and women's hearts burn fuel differently?

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine will study gender differences in how the heart uses and stores fat—its main energy source—and how changes in fat metabolism play ...

Medical research created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Primary care docs should play role in kids' dental health, experts say

(HealthDay)—When it comes to the care of your children's teeth, dentists aren't the only experts who can help.

Dentistry created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Control of heart disease risk factors varies among outpatient practices

Control of heart disease risk factors varies widely among outpatient practices, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2013.

Health created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New mechanism to prevent type 2 diabetes in obese individuals

A new Montréal study conducted by Dr. May Faraj, associate research professor at the Université de Montréal and invited scientist at the IRCM, along with her research team and medical collaborators, shows ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cancer survivors battle with the blues

Depressed cancer survivors are twice as likely to die prematurely than those who do not suffer from depression, irrespective of the cancer site. That's according to a new study, by Floortje Mols and colleagues, from Tilburg ...

Cancer created May 16, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Resistance to visceral leishmaniasis: New mechanisms involved

Researchers from CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and IRD have elucidated new molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to visceral leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic infection. They have shown that dectin-1 ...

Immunology created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Students' diet and physical activity improve with parent communications

College students eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more on days when they communicate more with their parents, according to researchers at Penn State.

Health created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cholesterol-lowering drug may reduce exercise benefits for obese adults, study finds

Statins, the most widely prescribed drugs worldwide, are often suggested to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease in individuals with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of medical disorders ...

Cardiology created May 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cognitive health info from doctors found to be lacking

(HealthDay)—Communication between patients and physicians regarding activities that may be beneficial to maintaining cognitive functioning during aging may be lacking, according to a study published online ...

Neuroscience created May 14, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Fish oil may stall effects of junk food on brain

Data from more than 180 research papers suggests fish oils could minimise the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review by researchers at the University of Liverpool has shown.

Health created May 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Title V coverage varies across states for diabetes

(HealthDay)—There is significant state by state variation in Title V medical coverage for children with diabetes, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.

Pediatrics created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Social connections drive the 'upward spiral' of positive emotions and health

People who experience warmer, more upbeat emotions may have better physical health because they make more social connections, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Ps ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 09, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Brazil slum study: Mobile health tech promising

(AP)—A study conducted in a Rio de Janeiro hillside slum says that using mobile health technology to monitor patients in poor urban areas could improve residents' access to health care while also reducing healthcare spending.

Health created May 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

In medicine, the opposite of chronic is acute. A chronic course is further distinguished from a recurrent course; recurrent diseases relapse repeatedly, with periods of remission in between.

While often referred to as "non-communicable diseases", also usually lasting medical conditions, the latter are distinguished by their non-infectious cause. In contrast, some chronic diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are caused by transmissible infections.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

Study says empathy plays a key role in moral judgments

Is it permissible to harm one to save many? Those who tend to say "yes" when faced with this classic dilemma are likely to be deficient in a specific kind of empathy, according to a report published in the scientific journal ...

Phthalates: Study links chemicals widely found in plastics, processed food to elevated blood pressure in children, teens

Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the ...

A molecular explanation for age-related fertility decline in women

(Medical Xpress)—Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health have a new theory as to why a woman's fertility declines after her mid-30s. They also suggest an approach that might help slow ...

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Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new drug target, developed a new drug and identified a new way to design drugs—all of which could be a winning combination in the battle against viruses.

B vitamins could delay dementia

(Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. ...

Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...

New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Antidepressant reduces stress-induced heart condition

A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety may improve a stress-related heart condition in people with stable coronary heart disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

Drugs found to both prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease in mice

Researchers at USC have found that a class of pharmaceuticals can both prevent and treat Alzheimer's Disease in mice.

Enrichment therapy effective among children with autism, study finds

Children with autism showed significant improvement after six months of simple sensory exercises at home using everyday items such as scents, spoons and sponges, according to UC Irvine neurobiologists.