Related Words

Chronic: This important term in medicine comes from the Greek chronos, time and means lasting a long time.

Chronic Disease: A disease or illness that is associated with lifestyle or environment factors as opposed to infectious diseases (hypo kinetic diseases are considered to be chronic diseases).

Chronicle: A history or a record of events. It refers to any systematic account or narration of events that makes minimal attempt to interpret, question, or analyze that history. Because of this, chron . . . View Full Definition

Diachronic: (Grk, 'across time') An analysis of literature, history, or linguistics is diachronic if it examines changes or developments in a single area or discipline over the course of many centuries. . . . View Full Definition

Synchronic: A synchronic study is one that provides an overview of a subject at a particular moment in time, as opposed to a diachronic study, which traces changes from one time period to the next acros . . . View Full Definition

Chronic Pain: Pain (an unpleasant sense of discomfort) that persists or progresses over a long period of time. In contrast to acute pain that arises suddenly in response to a specific injury and is usuall . . . View Full Definition

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) consists of two primary conditions: pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Both conditions interfere with the ability to move air in and out . . . View Full Definition

Chronic Schizophrenia: (kron-ik skiz-o-fre-ne-ah) A disorder in which the symptoms of schizophrenia persist long-term.

Chronic Exposure: Contact with a substance that occurs over a long time (more than 1 year) [compare with acute exposure and intermediate duration exposure]

Chronic Toxicity: The capacity of a substance to cause long-term or delayed adverse health effects. For example, a cancer resulting from exposure to a carcinogen may not appear for years or decades.