Acute illness

Acute Illness

Acute illness (pronounced: ah-kyoot ill-ness) is a term used in the field of medicine to describe a health condition that is severe and sudden in onset. This could describe anything from a broken bone to an infection. Acute conditions might seem to come on suddenly and are often brief, not lasting over a long period of time.

Etymology

The term "acute" comes from the Latin word "acutus", meaning "sharp or pointed". In medical terms, it refers to the sudden onset or short course of a disease. The term "illness" is derived from the Old English word "ill", meaning "not healthy".

Related Terms

Chronic Illness: A long-term health condition that may not have a cure. It can affect a person's lifestyle in different ways.
Infection: The invasion of an organism's body tissues by disease-causing agents, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agents and the toxins they produce.
Disease: A particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not due to any immediate external injury.
Symptom: A physical or mental feature which is regarded as indicating a condition of disease, particularly such a feature that is apparent to the patient.
Diagnosis: The identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon.
Treatment: The management and care of a patient to combat, ameliorate, or prevent a disease, disorder, or injury.