Chronic diseases tend to show up quietly, with few warning bells. Unlike the acute illnesses that scream for attention, diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension take their time to create the disease state. They build slowly over time; years sometimes, even decades. Because change occurs so slowly, it makes it difficult for people to recognize problems until the disease has progressed without treatment.
The majority of the time, we have risk factors long before we have symptoms of health, and this fact needs to be understood so that we can be aware of risk factors.
Why slow health changes often go unnoticed
The body has an incredible capacity for adaptation, so when you experience slight changes, you may not even become alarmed. Some increase in blood pressure, a little more fatigue, or a bit more weight are often events we regard as in our rear mirror due to our busy lives. Yet, small variations can also be the early signs of movement toward chronic disease.
In many cases, when a patient is diagnosed, their disease may have already progressed to the stage where management will be required. This is why chronic disease management should begin before the diagnosis is made and will involve a focus on habits and preventive health.
The role of genetics and environment
While lifestyle choices significantly steer the direction of chronic disease development, genetics and other environmental exposures come into play as factors of risk or likelihood. Family history of chronic disease illustrates susceptibility, but not destiny. Apart from genetic risk factors for certain chronic diseases, some people, namely those with genetic polymorphism that increases the risk of future progression of chronic disease, may be particularly vulnerable to additional environmental exposures that can be cumulatively additive to their burden of illness, like air pollution or occupational exposures.
The economic burden of undetected conditions
The quiet way chronic diseases often manifest not only impacts the individual, but it also creates a significant burden for health care systems on a global scale. Treating an advanced condition is far more expensive than preventing it or getting in sooner to address issues. Hospitalizations, medications and loss of productivity may cost the country billions of dollars each year.
By prioritizing chronic disease management early, the individual and society as a whole can reduce their long-term costs, while also improving their quality of life. Learn more about your health and wellbeing on revoke.
Why regular health checkups matter
Routine health check-ups can help identify those silent, or very minor, conditions, before they develop into major ones. Blood tests, blood pressure tests and cholesterol tests are all ways to provide information on early warning signs that you wouldn’t even know about otherwise. Unfortunately, many people avoid these tests until symptoms arise and they feel they must get medical attention. Regular preventive visits allow your healthcare provider to monitor changes over time, and accomplish a management strategy sooner and make significant improvements in outcomes.
The psychological side of slow health decline
To what extent does the chronic disease have a slow, insidious impact on mental health? Chronic disease, chronic fatigue, chronic pain or chronic mobility impairment can set patients off on a path of taking it for granted. Patients might feel frustrated, anxious, or depressed, but hardly notice the slow change.
These sorts of changes have a significant impact on daily life, but the gradualness can be hard to notice – sometimes until it is gone. Mental well-being needs to be included in the chronic disease process and management to help ensure adherence and working with patients on the long road to monitoring chronic disease.
The importance of lifestyle modification in prevention
When it comes to reducing the risk of chronic disease, one of the more popular methods would be to change your lifestyle habits. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, managing stress effectively, and getting enough sleep can have a great impact on health over time. Changes could be as small as changing or adjusting one daily decision each week, or changing to lower risk factors or even reversing early signs of disease. In chronic disease management, the first step is usually the daily decisions that people are empowered to make to manage their health and well-being.
Where to find more insights and guidance
For anyone interested in keeping up to speed on health issues, medical advances, and how to manage chronic disease most effectively, increasing amounts of online information are available. One site, Ravoke, gives readers access to some of the newest medical news, research updates, and useful information on how to deal with the complications of living a long life.