Chronic Diseases

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 not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Neurons that can multitask greatly enhance the brain's computational power, study finds

Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have made much progress in mapping the brain by deciphering the functions of individual neurons that perform very specific tasks, such as recognizing the location ...

Team finds mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer

In a new study described in the journal Oncogene, researchers reveal how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Vitamin D could provide new and effective treatments for asthma

(Medical Xpress)—Scientists at King's College London have discovered that Vitamin D has the potential to significantly reduce the symptoms of asthma. The study, led by Professor Catherine Hawrylowicz from ...

Immune protein could stop diabetes in its tracks

Melbourne researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed.

Measles surges in UK years after vaccine scare

More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of a vaccine scare that raised the specter of autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch ...

Research uncovers a potential role of two proteins in diabetes

(Medical Xpress)—Flinders University researchers are breaking new ground in a decade-long journey to pinpoint the function of two closely related proteins.

Lymphatic fluid takes detour

When tumours metastasise, they can block lymphatic vessels, as researchers from ETH Zurich have discovered using a new method. The lymphatic fluid subsequently has to find a new path through the tissue. Such ...

Treatment of sleep apnea improves glucose levels in prediabetes

Optimal treatment of sleep apnea in patients with prediabetes improves blood sugar (glucose) levels and thus can reduce cardiometabolic risk, according to a study to be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference in ...

Whole-cell vaccine was more effective than acellular vaccine during CA pertussis outbreak

Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics.

Blame your parents for bunion woes

A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot ...