Tag: Short duration

Acute and chronic are two of the most fundamental medical classifications for understanding health conditions. While often mistaken for simply meaning “severe,” a medical condition that qualifies as acute is primarily defined by its sudden onset and relatively short duration, contrasting sharply with long-term chronic issues.

While many might associate the word with severity, in medical terminology, the word **'acute'** means a condition that has a sudden onset and is typically of a short duration. This is the direct opposite of a 'chronic' condition, which develops slowly and persists over a long period.