Chronic Illness

Description Addison's disease is an endocrine or hormonal disorder that occurs in all age groups and affects men and women equally. Addison's disease occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormone cortisol and, in some ca...

Description Asthma is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing. The coughing ...

Description Bronchiectasis is a condition where the bronchial tubes of your lungs are permanently damaged, widened, enlarged and thickened. These damaged air passages allow bacteria and mucus to build up in your lungs. This results in frequen...

Description Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart muscle is abnormal. The main types of cardiomyopathy include dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy makes it harder for your heart to pump and deliver blood...

Description Heart rhythm problems occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate your heartbeat do not work properly, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. Heart arrhythmias may feel like a fluttering or racing hea...

Description Heart failure, sometimes known as congestive heart failure, occurs when your heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Certain conditions, such as narrowed arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood p...

Description COPD is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. It is caused by damage to the lungs over many years and is a progressive disease that gets worse over time. It includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is a condition ...

Description Heart disease is a result of plaque build-up in your coronary arteries, a condition called atherosclerosis, that leads to blockages. The arteries, which start out smooth and elastic, become narrow and rigid, restricting blood fl...

Description Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Inflammation caused...

Description Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, which is the way the body uses digested food for growth and energy. Most of the food people eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. Glucose is the main source of fue...

Description Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. It is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy means the same thing as "seizure disorders". Seizures are episodes of...

Description Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve. It is often associated with a build-up of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life. The increased pressu...

Description Haemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins (clotting factors). If you have haemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you wou...

Description Lipid is another word for fat. Lipids are easily stored in the body and serve as a source of energy. Cholesterol and triglycerides are lipids. When the concentration of triglycerides or cholesterol in your blood is too high, it is...

Description High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Blood pressure is determined both ...

Description Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland is overactive and makes excessive amounts of thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland is an organ located in the front of your neck which releases hormones that control your me...

Description Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the world’s most common neurological diseases. Nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are surrounded by a layer of protein called myelin. This layer protects the nerve and helps electrical signa...

Description Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time. Parkinson’s involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Parkinson...

Description Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself, causing chronic joint inflammation. While it primarily affects joints, it can also cause inflammation of organs as the disease gets worse. People wi...

Description Lupus is an autoimmune disease characterised by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system. The immun...

Description Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A chronic disease of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, on the inner lining of the large intestine. Crohn's disease and m...