Chronic conditions affect millions of people around the world.
You are either born with a chronic issue, or you develop them over time – with many coming with lifestyle choices.
Wikipedia explains: ‘A chronic condition is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time.
‘The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.
‘Common chronic diseases include arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and some viral diseases such as hepatitis C and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
‘An illness which is lifelong because it ends in death is a terminal illness. It is possible and not unexpected for an illness to change in definition from terminal to chronic.
‘Diabetes and HIV for example were once terminal yet are now considered chronic due to the availability of insulin and daily drug treatment for individuals with HIV which allow these individuals to live while managing symptoms.’