Can Chronic Conditions Co-exist with Being Healthy: HIV/AIDS - Research Paper Example

Traditional concept defines health as lack of disease, symptoms or problems (Geyman, 2007). This concept concentrates on illness as health but neglects the individual as a whole. World Health Organization concept on the other hand defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely as the absence of disease or infirmity. Lastly, Ecological concept defines health as an adequate functional capacity which allows the individuals to carry out their duties and responsibilities or a certain quality of life which enables individuals to live happily, successfully, fruitfully and creatively (American Association of Retired People Public Policy Institute, 2009). Analysis Although definition of illness consists of components related to improper functioning and deviation from normality, it is also diverse in definition just as health since it might be difficult to establish what constitutes proper functioning and what characterizes a deviation from normality. The definition has been grouped in children, adolescents and adults, but they all center on the fact that illness refers to an alteration in an individual’s functioning (Price & Wilson, 1997). ...
conditions can be defined as a condition that consists of the following criteria; have a duration that lasts for at least six months and above, have a pattern of recurrence or deterioration, have a poor prognosis and lastly produce consequences that impact on the individual’s quality of life. Chronic conditions consists of non-communicable conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory and cancer and infections conditions like HIV, hepatitis B and tuberculosis and lastly mental health conditions like depression, schizophrenia and substance addiction. In this paper, tuberculosis as a chronic condition is highly discussed to establish its etiology, path physiology and its medical treatments (Price & Wilson, 1997). Tuberculosis is an infectious communicable disease that is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. It remains a major health problem in terms of chronic conditions and should be properly diagnosed to prevent further infection transmissions. It mostly affects adults in their productive age group and although it affects children as well, it is still not seen as a threat among the children. It is an infectious disease that could be passed to children from the adult sputum positive pulmonary TB cases excreting tubercle bacilli. This has made it difficult to control TB in children since it has to be detected and properly treated in adults. The most affecting agent of TB in human is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is an air-borne infection transmitted to a substantial population when patients suffering from TB discharge bacilli in their surrounding during coughing or sneezing (Kalnins & Love, 1982). On the part of the children, the TB is acquired through inhalation of the tubercle bacilli that is spread by the adult infections. In relation to ...Show more