Chronic Disease Management

Houston Internal Medicine Associates PA

Board Certified Internal Medicine & Primary Care located in Katy, TX & Cypress, TX

Have you lived with an ongoing medical condition that’s lasted over a year? If so, you may have a chronic disease. Chronic diseases affect 50% of adults in the United States, and more than half of them live with at least one chronic illness. Lakshmi Reddy, MD, and the team at Houston Internal Medicine Associates PA in Katy and Cypress, Texas, diagnose and treat chronic diseases. For chronic disease management, call the office or request an appointment online today.

Chronic Disease Management Q&A

What are chronic diseases?

There’s some debate among medical professionals around how long someone must have an ongoing condition for it to be a chronic disease. Their figures range from three months to one year.

There are, however, some key characteristics that most agree on. Typically, there’s no way to vaccinate against chronic disease and no cure once you have one.

However, they are largely preventable if you make sensible life choices, and you can treat the symptoms to maintain a high quality of life.

Houston Internal Medicine Associates PA takes a comprehensive approach when managing chronic illness, using screenings, checkups, personalized treatment plans, and patient education to help make the condition easier to live with.

What are common chronic diseases?

Many common conditions are also chronic diseases. They include:

Diabetes
Asthma
Cancer
Epilepsy
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Heart disease
Depression
Arthritis
Crohn’s disease
Cystic fibrosis
HIV/AIDS

Regardless of your condition, Dr. Reddy creates a comprehensive care plan to address your symptoms.

What causes chronic disease?

Many chronic diseases result from:

Smoking
Heavy alcohol consumption
An unhealthy diet
Lack of exercise

Other causes include genetics and your health history, both past and current.

During annual wellness checks, Dr. Reddy discusses your lifestyle with you to determine whether there’s anything you should change to improve your health and well-being.

How do you treat chronic disease?

Chronic disease treatment varies depending on what condition you have, the severity of your symptoms, and your general health status.

Dr. Reddy takes a conservative, evidence-based approach to treatment and uses a combination of medicine, lifestyle changes, and complementary therapies.

How can I help prevent chronic disease?

Changing your behaviors often helps prevent chronic diseases from developing altogether. Lifestyle changes you can make include:

Following a regular exercise regimen
Getting a good night’s sleep
Avoiding alcohol or limiting intake
Following a healthy, balanced diet
Scheduling regular health screenings
Being aware of your family's medical history

Dr. Reddy identifies if you’re at risk of developing a chronic disease and treats any you may already have.

For chronic disease management when you need it, call Houston Internal Medicine Associates PA to make an appointment or request one online today.

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