Chronic Illness

The term chronic illness refers to a health condition that is of long duration (often defined as 6 months or more), which rarely resolves without medical or other intervention, is rarely completely cured, and is often associated with functional impairment or long-term disability. Chronic illness may be thought of as an umbrella term that refers to children who are living with a chronic health condition regardless of whether they are well or ill at any given time. The incidence and prevalence of children living with chronic illness are increasing, both because of a current rise in the incidence of certain long-term conditions such as [Page 256]diabetes, asthma, and allergy, and because of rapid improvements in medical care over the past few decades, leading to improved ...