Kroniskt

Kroniskt is a Swedish term meaning chronic, used to describe diseases or conditions that persist over a long period or recur over time. It is commonly contrasted with akut, meaning acute. The word functions as an adjective in forms such as kronisk, and its adverbial form is kroniskt, used to describe the manner or persistence of a condition, for example kroniskt sjuk.

In medical contexts, kronisk describes diseases or states that are long-lasting and often not completely curable, though they may be manageable through treatment, monitoring, and lifestyle adjustments. Chronic conditions frequently require ongoing care and can involve gradual progression, periods of stability, or episodic flare-ups. Management aims to reduce symptoms, prevent complications, and improve quality of life rather than achieve a cure.

Distinctions in usage can vary by field. Chronic conditions are typically characterized by durability rather than rapid change, whereas some conditions once considered chronic may become controllable or enter remission with advances in treatment. The term is also applied more broadly to non-disease processes that persist, such as chronic inflammation or chronic pain.

Etymology traces kronisk to Greek chronikos (time-related) via Latin chronicus, with the Swedish form kronisk developing through historical usage. The adverb kroniskt is used to indicate that a state persists over time, as in kroniskt sjuk or kroniskt inflammatorisk tillstånd.

See also: kronisk sjukdom, kronisk smärta, kronisk inflammation, akut sjukdom, långtidsvård.