Life Threatening Conditions

 diseases which can lead to the death of

patient
 most chronic diseases are life threatening
diseases
 chronic, usually incurable diseases, which
have the effect of considerably limiting a
person's life expectancy

Chronic Conditions
 Medical conditions or health problems with
associated symptoms or disabilities that
require long-term (3 months) or longer
management. (Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, 1996)
 Chronic diseases are defined broadly as
conditions that last 1 year or more and
require ongoing medical attention or limit
activities of daily living or both.
 6 in 10 adults in the US have a chronic
disease while 4 in 10 adults have 2 or more.

Acute VS Chronic
Acute Chronic
 sudden in onset,  continues
with s/sx related to indefinitely
the disease process  can appear
itself suddenly or through
 - ends in relatively  insidious process-
short time, either have episodic flare-
with recovery and ups or
resumption of prior exacerbations or
activities, or with remain in remission
death with absence of
symptoms for long
periods of time

Disease VS Illness
 Disease: a condition that the practitioner views
from a pathophysiological model
 Illness: the human experience of symptoms and
suffering, and refers to how the disease is
perceived, lived with and responded to by
individuals and their families
 Remember: Although it is important to
recognize the pathology of a disease,
understanding the illness experience is essential
when caring for individuals.