Question

Frequently, chronic conditions and disability are treated the same. Still, many people that have disabilities don't have symptoms or illnesses that require healthcare interventions. In many cases, persons with chronic condition are treated as if they have a disability, and not an illness or clinical symptom?

Answer 1

Chronic disease can be termed as any health condition having symptoms and effects that are long term and do not have any particular time frame for recovery.

Disability is a condition that is caused by some past illness causing impairment of body function that cannot be recovered from and may not need medical treatment.

Often chronic disease conditions are mixed up with disability and treated as same. But these are two different conditions. Chronic conditions often lead to limitation of certain body functions hindering a few activities. But this should not be considered a disability.

A person with chronic illness may not feel comfortable about being referred to as disabled. This issue arises as disability is associated with social stigma in our community. A disabled person and disability is not accepted with positive attitudes by majority of people which makes the chronically ill patient uncomfortable with the term disabled.