Updated August 06, 2008.
Definition:
The word "acute" has a couple of meanings in medicine. When it is used to describe a symptom, like pain, it means sharp or sudden. It may also refer to a condition that is a short course.
It's also used to describe diseases. When describing diseases it is usually used as a phrase which describes the disease such as "acute cholecystitis" or "acute leukemia" or "acute hepatitis." When used in the context of a disease, it means the picture associated with a specific syndrome that occurs early and possibly severely which is often meant to distinguish it from a particular chronic counterpart.
For example, acute hepatitis is distinguished from "chronic hepatitis." Typically, for the different viral hepatides, acute means appearing relatively quickly and lasting for a short time, as in acute hepatitis A which tends to be present soon after exposure with a fairly dramatic presentation (fever, jaundice, etc.), but usually resolves spontaneously. This can be contrasted with chronic hepatitis C which is rarely detected in the acute phase, is often symptom free and quietly causes slow damage to the liver and often does not resolve without medical treatment.
Definition:
The word "acute" has a couple of meanings in medicine. When it is used to describe a symptom, like pain, it means sharp or sudden. It may also refer to a condition that is a short course.
It's also used to describe diseases. When describing diseases it is usually used as a phrase which describes the disease such as "acute cholecystitis" or "acute leukemia" or "acute hepatitis." When used in the context of a disease, it means the picture associated with a specific syndrome that occurs early and possibly severely which is often meant to distinguish it from a particular chronic counterpart.
For example, acute hepatitis is distinguished from "chronic hepatitis." Typically, for the different viral hepatides, acute means appearing relatively quickly and lasting for a short time, as in acute hepatitis A which tends to be present soon after exposure with a fairly dramatic presentation (fever, jaundice, etc.), but usually resolves spontaneously. This can be contrasted with chronic hepatitis C which is rarely detected in the acute phase, is often symptom free and quietly causes slow damage to the liver and often does not resolve without medical treatment.
