Chronic Illness Management

Chronic Illness Management Q & A

Primary Care, Internal Medicine, and Aesthetics located in Norwood, MA

An estimated half of all men and women in the United States have at least one chronic illness that requires ongoing management to ensure the disease doesn’t worsen. Prabhu Ram, MD, works with many men and women at his practice, Ram Clinic PC in Norwood, Massachusetts, to develop management plans so they can live a full life despite having chronic diseases, such as diabetes or arthritis. To get expert help with your chronic illness, book an appointment online or over the phone today.

What is a chronic illness?

A chronic illness is one that lasts more than a year and requires ongoing monitoring. One of the defining characteristics of a chronic illness is that once it develops, it can’t be cured. It must be managed to prevent it from progressively worsening.

A few of the most common chronic illnesses are:

• High blood pressure
• Arthritis
• Diabetes
• Heart disease and heart failure
• Chronic kidney disease
• High cholesterol
• Osteoporosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In most cases, you can prevent these chronic illnesses, because they often develop due to a poor diet, lack of physical activity, and being overweight.

How is chronic illness managed?

Once a chronic illness is diagnosed, Dr. Ram creates a treatment plan customized to the condition and each patient’s health and lifestyle needs. These are a few examples of chronic illness and how they’re managed:

Diabetes

The goal of managing diabetes is to keep your blood sugar within a normal range. Blood sugar can often be controlled with exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and a diet that limits sugary carbohydrates. Dr. Ram may also prescribe medications to lower blood sugar.

High blood pressure

When you have high blood pressure, disease management focuses on lowering blood pressure and keeping it within normal limits. Like diabetes, high blood pressure can often be controlled with diet, exercise and weight management. You also may need medication to lower blood pressure.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

COPD refers to several inflammatory lung diseases that make it hard to breathe and cause coughing and wheezing. The two most common forms of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Dr. Ram helps manage your COPD with a plan to improve airflow and reduce your flare-ups by avoiding triggers, using inhaled medications, and participating in respiratory therapy.

What should I know about dementia?

Dementia refers to a decline in mental ability that’s severe enough to impact your daily life. There are several types of progressive dementia, including Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal disorders. However, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.

Long-term management of dementia focuses on lifestyle and environmental changes to support memory and keep the patient safe and healthy. Additionally, several medications are available to improve memory and reduce symptoms of dementia.

Whether you’d like to talk about a plan to prevent chronic illness or you need expert help managing an ongoing condition, call Ram Clinic PC or book an appointment online.