Medical conditions, disorders, syndromes, illnesses, and diseases are the focus of this section of our web guide.

For the most part, disease and illness refer to the same concept of an ailment or sickness. However, illness is broader and more subjective in that it suggests a poor state of health, which might affect the body or mind in various ways. At the same time, a disease is specific, objective, and diagnosed by a medical professional based on observable signs, symptoms, and the underlying cause.

An individual can be ill without having a disease, or have a disease without feeling ill.

In common uses, these terms are often used interchangeably. There are similarities, but there are also subtle differences that are useful to healthcare professionals.

Although sometimes used as synonyms, conditions and diseases are separate terms with unique definitions. Diseases are disorders of a structure or function that impair regular body activity. Diseases manifest an extensive range of symptoms that vary from one disease to another and from person to person. Diseases affect the body in various ways, usually depending on the particular disease. For example, when someone has diabetes, their blood sugar levels are likely to fluctuate from too low to too high unless controlled through medication or diet. People with cardiovascular disease are at risk of blood clots, angina, and heart attack, while arthritis is characterized by swollen, painful joints.

The difference between a disease and a condition is in how the body and general health of the individual are affected.

A condition refers to an abnormal state or situation that may or may not interfere with the subject's everyday activities but still requires treatment of the root cause, which is often a disease. Some conditions are temporary, while others are chronic and may require ongoing treatments. Of course, some conditions are minor, while others are more serious. For example, heart failure is a condition of the disease known as cardiovascular disease.

Conditions might be minor, such as an earache, or major, such as a stroke. A stroke is a condition and not a disease. Root causes of a stroke might include vascular disease or hypertension. As another example, fever is a condition (symptom) of malaria, not the disease itself.

Diseases may be acute or chronic, depending on the duration of the disease. Acute diseases occur suddenly and disappear following treatment, while chronic diseases take longer to heal or may recur. Chronic conditions are often the result of chronic illnesses and do not go away even after treatment. For example, long-term medical care for a disease may result in body aches or other conditions even after the treatment is concluded, and subjects who receive radiation treatment for cancer may be left with long-term conditions due to this treatment.

Disease, disorder, syndrome, and condition may appear synonymous to laypeople, but they each refer to specific health states. These terms are used as a hierarchy to classify how our health is affected.

Usually, symptoms are the first indications that we have a problem. When a group of symptoms occur together, they are classified as a syndrome. Recognition of the syndrome assists medical providers in determining the disorder. Often, at that point, there is no direct inference that the symptoms are caused by one specific thing. Determining this cause leads to the diagnosis of the underlying illness.

Sometimes, a diagnosis can be made quickly and on the first assessment, but it could also take years. For example, a subject might be treated for an autoimmune disorder of some type. while yet without a firm diagnosis.

Several diseases fall under the heading of arthritis. Still, in the early stages, a subject might be known to be experiencing an arthritis syndrome or disorder without a specific diagnosis as to the form of arthritis. There are more than a hundred types of arthritis and related conditions.

A disorder is characterized by functional impairment and a disruption of the normal function or structure of the body. A disorder might indicate the possible presence of a specific disease. Still, there may not be enough clinical evidence for a diagnosis on its own.

A common saying in medical circles is that disease is something an organ has, while illness is something a person has. Another is that you go to a doctor with an illness and return home with a disease.

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