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Your Choices...Your Health

Living with a Chronic Condition


Chronic conditions include diabetes, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Heart disease and diabetes can cause ill health and premature death.

If you can find out early that you have a chronic condition, complications can usually be prevented. It’s possible to slow the progression of disease and prevent other conditions from developing.

Chronic conditions are largely preventable and share a range of common risk factors – such as
  • inactivity
  • unhealthy diet
  • obesity
  • depression
  • stress
  • tobacco use
  • alcohol misuse.

If you can manage the factors that can lead to the development of a chronic condition, you can prevent it.

Your doctor can help you:
  • identify any risk factors that may apply to you.

If a chronic condition is in its early stages, your doctor can help you to:
  • be aware of what you need to do to slow its progress and
  • take actions that can prevent other conditions from developing.

If you have diabetes ask your doctor about the 'Get Checked' programme. Get Checked is a free annual diabetes check provided by practice nurses and general practitioners for people with diabetes.

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Page last updated: 5 October 2007


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