Understanding Chronic Diseases: Causes, Types, and Prevalence
A chronic disease is a disease you learn to live with. It won’t go away on its own. You need the services of a skilled physician to help you manage a chronic disease. The doctors at Lawndale Medical Clinic in Houston, TX, provide a wide range of medical services, including diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic diseases.
What You Need To Know About Chronic Diseases
Some chronic diseases like type 1 diabetes are genetic, and you can’t do much to prevent them. Other chronic diseases, like type 2 diabetes, COPD, and heart disease may be prevented by practicing a healthy lifestyle. To help prevent the development of chronic diseases, it’s important to:
- Not smoke, use tobacco products, or vape
- Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
- Eat a healthy diet low in fat, sugar, and salt
- Exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week
These are some of the most common chronic diseases you may develop in your lifetime:
Arthritis, which is joint inflammation and degeneration, is caused by aging, trauma, overuse, and other factors. Your doctor may recommend anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and stretching.
Diabetes, which is elevated levels of glucose in your blood. There are two types–type 1 which is due to genetics, and type 2 which is due to lifestyle factors. Diabetes requires careful monitoring by your doctor with frequent testing of blood sugar levels. Medication, diet, and lifestyle modification are the keys to diabetes management.
Heart disease encompasses a wide range of conditions including high blood pressure, angina, arrhythmia, and others. Medication, diet, and lifestyle modifications are recommended to manage heart disease. Depending on the type of heart disease, surgery may also be recommended.
Cancer can affect a wide range of tissues and organs, causing abnormal cellular changes. Medication, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery are all used to treat and manage cancer.
Obesity is a common chronic disease contributing to poor health and the development of other serious diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Obesity is often treated and managed with diet and exercise regimens, lifestyle modification, weight loss medications, or weight loss surgery.
Want To Know More?
To find out more about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic diseases, talk with the experts. Call the physicians at Lawndale Medical Clinic in Houston, TX. You can reach them in the office by calling (713) 924-4907, so call today.