How are Chronic and Acute Diseases related?
Acute “episodes” of a disease may be intense, but acute “diseases” merely mean they are short-lived. There are relationships, in that an acute disease may trigger a chronic disease- These events are heavily researched now, because the link in some cases of acute illnesses and infections leading to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases is quite strong. Head injuries or meningitis (infection of the meninges of the brain) increases risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases, which themselves are not *caused* by the original acute illness. There are many other examples, but that is one way in which chronic and acute illnesses are related. Another possibility is that a chronic disease, such as HIV infection (which is now chronic due to treatment) can lead to increased risk of an acute disease, such as infection or cancer. The chronic condition colitis leads to an increase risk of colon cancer, the chronic disease high blood pressure leads to increase
