Health conditions that are persistent or long-lasting in their effects. Whereas acute conditions are defined by sudden onset, chronic conditions are long-developing; an asthma attack is an acute condition caused by asthma, a chronic condition. This term is used to describe various health-related states of the body, including syndromes, disabilities, diseases, and physical impairments. In this project, the term encompasses a wide range of disabilities and chronic illnesses.

Chronic illnesses are long-term health conditions that may not have a cure. They often require constant medical care and can interfere with activities of daily living. The terms “chronic condition,” “chronic disease,” and “chronic illness” are often used interchangeably. In this project, the former is used as an umbrella term encompassing the latter two, as well as disability. The term “chronic illness” is often used to describe an individual’s experience with a chronic condition, as “illness” refers to the perceived experience of a disorder within the body, whereas “disease” refers to the disorder itself. 

Well-known chronic illnesses include Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, asthma, cancer, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, dementia, diabetes, endometriosis, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, heart disease, hypertension, HIV, migraines, mood disorders, multiple sclerosis, narcolepsy, Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell disease, and ulcerative colitis. 

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes swelling and irritation of tissues in the digestive tract. The inflammation caused by the disease can affect different areas of the digestive tract in different people. Inflammation most commonly affects the end of the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine, often spreading into deeper layers of the bowel. Symptoms can be painful and debilitating, and often include stomach pain and cramping, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, weight loss, malnutrition, and mouth sores.

While the condition is incurable, symptoms can be managed through medications like anti-inflammatories and immunosuppressants, dietary adjustments, and surgical procedures. Common procedures include colostomies and ileostomies, where an opening is made in the abdomen to connect the large or small intestine to the outside of the body. This opening is connected to an ostomy pouching system, a prosthetic device that allows for the collection of waste in those with a digestive system that does not function properly. 

Disabilities are defined as physical or mental conditions that limit a person’s movements, senses, or activities. The CDC describes disability as having three dimensions: impairment, activity limitation, and participation restrictions. 

Impairment refers to a loss or abnormality in a body structure or function, including mental functioning. This can include mobility impairments, such as paralysis or the loss of a limb, sensory impairments, such as vision or hearing loss, and neurological impairments, such as epilepsy or memory loss, among others.

Activity limitations relate to difficulties in executing tasks or actions on an individual level, such as difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, or problem-solving. 

Participation restrictions involve difficulties in engaging in life roles and normal daily activities. Participation restriction is distinguished from activity limitation because it often relates to systemic barriers and a person’s involvement in life situations. Examples include restrictions to employment, engagement in social and recreational activities, and obtaining health care services.

Dysautonomia is a nervous system disorder that disrupts autonomic body processes. Autonomic body processes regulate automatic functions like blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, breathing, sweating, and digestion. Because dysautonomia refers to the improper functioning of these body systems, symptoms often differ from person to person, based on which systems are being affected.

Symptoms may include, but aren’t limited to, balance problems, dizziness, fainting, brain fog, nausea, fatigue, irregular heart rate, swings in body temperature, digestive issues, chest pain, shortness of breath, migraines, mood swings, trouble swallowing, vision problems, exercise intolerance, dry or watery eyes, low blood pressure, and vertigo. 

Dysautonomia can act as an umbrella term for various disorders that disrupt the autonomic nervous system (ANS), with primary dysautonomia referring to dysautonomia that happens on its own, without another cause, and secondary dysautonomia referring to dysautonomia that happens because of another condition related to the ANS, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

Enclothed cognition is a psychological phenomenon where the clothing that a person wears influences their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The term was coined in 2012 by Adam D. Galinsky and Hajo Adam in a research study at Northwestern University in an effort to measure the psychological effects of dress. The researchers argue that the systematic influence of clothing on the wearer’s psychological processes is dependent on both the symbolic meaning and physical experience of wearing the clothes. 

Adam and Galinsky came to this conclusion through conducting three experiments based on the prediction that, because lab coats are generally associated with attentiveness and carefulness, wearing a lab coat would increase performance on attention-related tasks. In their first experiment, they found that wearing a lab coat increased selective attention compared to not wearing a lab coat. In the second and third experiments, they found that wearing a lab coat described as a “doctor’s coat” increased sustained attention compared to wearing a lab coat described as a “painter’s coat.”

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological or brain disorder that causes recurring seizures. These seizures occur when groups of nerve cells, or neurons, send the wrong signals, and can be triggered by causes including flashing lights, sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol, missed medication, or dehydration. During a seizure, many neurons send signals at the same time, at a much faster rate than normal, and this surge of electrical activity can cause involuntary movements, sensations, emotions, and behaviors.

There are many different causes of epilepsy, including genetic predisposition and co-occurring conditions such as head trauma, brain tumors, alcoholism, infections, strokes, or Alzheimer’s disease.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a form of dysautonomia that is characterized by the occurrence of exaggerated heart rate and symptoms like lightheadedness, fainting, difficulty thinking and concentrating, fatigue, exercise intolerance, headaches, blurred vision, heart palpitations, tremors, and nausea when standing upright.

The syndrome is defined within its name: Postural relates to the position of the body, orthostatic relates to standing upright, tachycardia signals increased heart rate, and syndrome refers to the group of symptoms that occur.

These symptoms, which often occur when moving from a horizontal to upright position, are related to circulatory issues. In a healthy person, the body activates several nervous system responses to ensure that a sufficient amount of blood reaches the brain when the body assumes an upright position. In people with POTS, the blood vessels don’t respond efficiently to the signal to tighten, causing blood to pool in the lower half of the body. The lack of blood returned to the brain manifests as symptoms like lightheadedness, fainting, brain fog, and fatigue. At the same time, the nervous system releases hormones like adrenaline to tighten the blood vessels, causing the heart rate to increase further. This can cause symptoms like shakiness, chest pain, or palpitations.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the joints, especially in the hands and feet. This inflammation results in swelling, stiffness, and structural and functional alteration of the affected joints, and has the potential to affect other organs and systems of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is often characterized by flares, periods of increased disease activity that manifest as worsened joint pain, swelling, and stiffness, as well as fatigue and reduced mobility. The disease is caused by a dysfunctional immune system that causes the body to mistakenly attack the lining of the joints.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to a brain injury that is caused by an outside force, such as a forceful bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or an object entering the brain. There are various types of TBIs – some can cause temporary problems with brain function, while others can lead to more severe and permanent disability or even death. Some TBIs are primary, meaning the damage occurred immediately, whereas others are secondary, with damage happening gradually over the course of hours, days, or weeks following the injury as a result of reactive processes after the initial head trauma.

Symptoms of TBI are divided into three categories: physical, cognitive and behavioral, and perception and sensation. 

Physical symptoms include headaches, convulsions or seizures, blurred or double vision, unequal pupil dilation, fluid drainage from the nose or ears, nausea and vomiting, and new neurological problems like slurred speech, muscle weakness, or loss of balance. 

Cognitive and behavioral symptoms include loss of consciousness, decreased level of consciousness, confusion or disorientation, memory, concentration, and decision-making issues, changes in sleep patterns, and frustration or irritability. 

Perception and sensation symptoms include lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo, or loss of balance or coordination, blurred vision, hearing problems like tinnitus, sensitivity to light or sound, mood changes or swings, agitation, combativeness, or other unusual behavior, feelings of anxiety and depression, fatigue or drowsiness, including a lack of energy or motivation, and an unexplained bad taste in the mouth.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin, an essential hormone that helps the body convert glucose into energy by moving it from the bloodstream into cells. The lack of insulin production in people with T1D leads to an excess of glucose buildup in the bloodstream, causing high blood sugar. 

High blood sugar causes symptoms like excessive thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slowed healing of cuts and sores, and yeast infections. Continuous high blood pressure over time can damage many parts of the body, leading to serious health complications. As a result, T1D requires daily management of symptoms through insulin injections or insulin pumps, which are wearable devices that mimic the pancreatic function by delivering a continuous flow of insulin under the skin, and glucose monitoring. T1D was formerly known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes. 

Ventricular tachycardia is a type of abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia that occurs when the lower chamber of the heart beats too fast to pump well, and the body doesn’t receive enough oxygenated blood. When ventricular tachycardia is sustained for a prolonged period of time, it can lower blood pressure and lead to fainting or lightheadedness. Other possible symptoms of prolonged ventricular tachycardia (lasting more than 30 seconds) include chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and cardiac arrest. When the condition lasts only a few seconds, it may cause no symptoms except palpitations.