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Progressive disease or progressive illness is a disease or physical ailment whose
course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
in most cases is the worsening, growth, or spread of the disease. This may happen until death, serious debility, or
organ failure Organ dysfunction is a condition where an organ does not perform its expected function. Organ failure is organ dysfunction to such a degree that normal homeostasis cannot be maintained without external clinical intervention. It is not a diagnosi ...
occurs. Some progressive diseases can be halted and reversed by treatment (surgical, dietary, or lifestyle interventions). Many can be slowed by medical therapy. Some cannot be altered by current treatments. Though the time distinctions are imprecise, diseases can be ''rapidly progressive'' (typically days to weeks) or ''slowly progressive'' (months to years). The time course of a disease affects whether it is considered
acute Acute may refer to: Science and technology * Acute angle ** Acute triangle ** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology * Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset. ** Acute toxicity, the adverse ef ...
or chronic. By definition, virtually all slowly progressive diseases are also chronic diseases. Biologically, many of these are also referred to as
degenerative disease Degenerative disease is the result of a continuous process based on degenerative cell changes, affecting tissues or organs, which will increasingly deteriorate over time. In neurodegenerative diseases, cells of the central nervous system stop wor ...
s due to the cellular changes. Not all chronic diseases are progressive: a chronic, non-progressive disease may be referred to as a ''static'' condition. ''Progressive disease'' can also be a
clinical endpoint Clinical endpoints or clinical outcomes are outcome measures referring to occurrence of disease, symptom, sign or laboratory abnormality constituting a target outcome in clinical research trials. The term may also refer to any disease or sign tha ...
i.e. an endpoint in a clinical trial.


Examples

There are examples of slowly and rapidly progressive diseases affecting all organ systems and parts of the body. The following are some examples of rapidly and slowly progressive diseases affecting various organ systems: * Brain:
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD), also known as subacute spongiform encephalopathy or neurocognitive disorder due to prion disease, is an invariably fatal degenerative brain disorder. Early symptoms include memory problems, behavioral changes, ...
progresses rapidly compared to
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...
. * Eyes:
Cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble wi ...
s can be static or slowly progressive. Macular degeneration is slowly progressive, while
retinal detachment Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blin ...
is rapidly progressive. * Lungs: Emphysema due to
alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD or AATD) is a genetic disorder that may result in lung disease or liver disease. Onset of lung problems is typically between 20 and 50 years of age. This may result in shortness of breath, wheezing, or an inc ...
is a slowly progressive pulmonary disease. * Kidneys:
Goodpasture's syndrome Goodpasture syndrome (GPS), also known as anti–glomerular basement membrane disease, is a rare autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the basement membrane in lungs and kidneys, leading to bleeding from the lungs, glomerulonephritis, ...
is a rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, while diabetic glomerulosclerosis is slowly progressive. *
Pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an ...
:
Type 1 diabetes mellitus Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar f ...
involves rapidly progressive loss of insulin secretory capacity compared to
type 2 diabetes mellitus Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...
, in which the loss of insulin secretion is slowly progressive over many years.
MODY 2 MODY 2 is a form of maturity-onset diabetes of the young. It is due to any of several mutations in the ''GCK'' gene on human chromosome 7 for glucokinase. Glucokinase serves as the glucose sensor for the pancreatic beta cell. Normal glucokinas ...
, due to ''GCK'' mutation, is a relatively static form of reduced insulin secretion. * Joints: Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are slowly progressive forms of
arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some ...
. * Nerves: Essential tremor is a slowly progressive neurological disorder which is usually
genetically Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar working ...
passed down. * Cancer: the abnormal growth of body cells


References

{{reflist Diseases and disorders Medical terminology