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1. Referring to a health-related state, lasting a long time. 2. Referring to exposure, prolonged or long-term, sometimes meaning also low intensity. 3. The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics defines a c. condition as one of 3 months' duration or longer. [G. chronos, time]
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chronic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neoplasms, infections, cryoglobulinemia [conditions in which rheumatoid factor is produced]
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1 a) marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by slowly progressing seriousness: not acute <\chronic indigestion> <her hallucinations became \chronic>
b) suffering from a disease or ailment of long duration or frequent recurrence <a \chronic arthritic> <\chronic sufferers from asthma>
2 a) having a slow progressive course of indefinite duration used esp. of degenerative invasive diseases, some infections, psychoses, and inflammations <\chronic heart disease>{{}}<\chronic arthritis>{{}}<\chronic tuberculosis> compare ACUTE (2b(1))
b) infected with a disease-causing agent (as a virus) and remaining infectious over a long period of time but not necessarily expressing symptoms <\chronic carriers may remain healthy but still transmit the virus causing hepatitis B>
chron·i·cal·ly -i-k(ə-)lē adv
chronic n one that suffers from a chronic disease
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adj.
describing a disease of long duration involving very slow changes. Such disease is often of gradual onset. The term does not imply anything about the severity of a disease. Compare acute.
• chronicity n.
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chron·ic (kronґik) [L. chronicus, from Gr. chronos time] persisting over a long period of time.Medical dictionary. 2011.