chronic disease

noun

plural chronic diseases

: a disease (such as asthma, coronary heart disease, or diabetes) that continues or occurs again and again for a long time : a medical condition of prolonged duration

… childhood obesity that too often leads to chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.

—Akiba Solomon

Most oncologists are reluctant to use the word "cure," and tend to speak of cancer as a chronic disease. The goal of treatment is remission, a state in which the cancer can't be detected.

—Sallie Tisdale

More than 2,200 local doctors had voluntarily provided free care to uninsured patients, including surgery, chemotherapy and chronic disease management.

—The Dallas Morning News

Examples of chronic disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Our Connected Health™ remote patient monitoring platform is used by healthcare enterprises and care teams across North America to virtually manage chronic disease, enable aging in place, and deliver hospital-quality post-surgical care in the home. —Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024

The authors note that persistently higher rates of poverty, disability, and chronic disease in rural areas, compounded by fewer physicians per capita and the closure of hospitals, affect community health. —Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024

Increasing protein from plants may help protect women against many chronic diseases. —Caroline Hopkins, NBC News, 31 Mar. 2024

Research has also found that food additives and preservatives, originally created to improve mass production and increase shelf-life, are also linked with increasing rates of obesity and chronic disease. —Sai Balasubramanian, M.d., J.d., Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Necessary efforts to control measles outbreaks pull millions of dollars’ worth of critical resources away from other essential public health functions such as ensuring food safety, preventing injuries and chronic diseases, and responding to disasters. —Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024

Many chronic diseases are rooted in socioeconomic conditions. —Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024

Only children under age seven and patients with some chronic diseases and dietary needs receive powdered milk monthly through the ration card. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024

Access to health care and doctors can play a major role in reducing the toll of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. —Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

chronic disease

noun

: a disease (such as asthma, coronary heart disease, or diabetes) that continues or occurs again and again for a long time : a medical condition of prolonged duration

Millions suffer from debilitating chronic disease caused by smoking. It is a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease, chronic bronchitis and emphysema …

—Phil Gunby, The Journal of the American Medical Association