The 4 types of prognoses and health states: some clinical terminology

This is the most common medical terminology in the clinical field.

Possibly on some occasion we have heard in a news report or read in the news that a certain person is admitted to the hospital for a serious injury, that he/she is critical or that the prognosis is favorable or uncertain.

It is also possible that these types of terms come to us because either we ourselves or a loved one has been admitted for some reason. These concepts refer to the state of health and the expectation or prognosis that is had on someone who suffers some type of disease, accident or medical affectation.accident or medical condition. And the truth is that, although we can usually get an approximate idea of what is involved when we talk about a serious or mild disease or a reserved prognosis, we do not always have a full understanding of what is meant.

Knowing these types of terms can be relevant in our day-to-day life and that is why, in this article, we intend to collect a series of concepts related to the different types of medical conditions and prognoses. different types of medical conditions and prognoses that sometimes are communicated to us.

Types of prognosis and severity of a disease

The state of health of a person refers to the medical or health conditions that such person sustains, which can favor, maintain or harm in different ways his or her expectations of survival, life expectancy and capacity to achieve or maintain wellbeing.

When we speak of state of health we refer to a set of elements of a fundamentally biological nature, although psychological factors may also come into play. Although other aspects such as the psychosocial sphere also have an influence and can be symptomatic and even determinant for a person's state of health, in principle they do not fall within this concept.

With the onset of an illness, injury or medical alteration, the state of health of the subject in question will be compromised and impaired. The presence of this disease implies an alteration that can be categorized in different degrees depending on its severity. The following are some of the main some of the main medical terms that refer to how a person is in relation to the severity of a particular condition. in relation to the severity of a particular condition.

1. Mild illness or minor injury

We use the term mild condition to refer to a state in which the condition, illness or injury suffered by the patient in question does not appear to be serious and an early recovery without sequelae is expected. Recovery is usually estimated to take about fifteen days. The prognosis is good.

An example is found in minor illnesses such as a cold or sticking an object in an uncommitted area, such as the skin.

2. Less serious condition

Classifying a disorder, disease or medical condition as having a "less severe" prognosis implies that although a rapid recovery is not expected, it is not expected to be life threatening, is not expected to pose a risk to the patient's life.. Recovery may take as long as a fortnight to a month.

3. Serious illness or injury

Serious illness or impairment means that the impairment involves a clear danger to the patient's life or functionality. involves an obvious danger to the patient's life or functionality.. The risk of death is present, or the injury may involve the loss or impairment of some relevant capacity or ability of the person (e.g., the ability to walk). Recovery usually takes more than a month.

Someone in serious condition could be a patient with pneumonia.

4. Very serious condition, illness or injury

A very serious condition refers to the existence of a certain problem, condition, injury or disease with a high probability of death. An example of this is when a patient has multiple internal injuries but is stabilized and is still considered to be salvageable.

5. Critical state

Another term referring to the state/prognosis of a patient is critical condition. In this case, this concept is used to indicate that the vital signs of the person in question are unstable, with immediate risk to his or her life despite the possibility of recovery.

The subject is in a crucial moment of extreme danger, and death is highly probable.Death is highly probable, although, depending on the response to treatment, recovery may be possible. Generally the patient would be in the Intensive Care Unit or ICU, being highly monitored.

An example of critical condition could be found in admitted patients who suffer a cardiovascular accident or a heart attack, in the first moments. The person would be at risk of death but depending on the treatment could improve and even be saved.

6. Acute state

The fact that a disease is in an acute stage means the presence of a clear and defined symptomatology that occurs in a limited and generally short period of time (never longer than six months). Being in an acute phase of a disease does not imply that it is more or less serious, implying rather that the evolution of this one is fast in the time (the conclusion of the disease can be the complete recovery or the death of the patient).

7. Chronic disease

The fact that a disease or injury is chronic implies that such disease or disorder will be present for the rest of the subject's life from the time of its diagnosis, being such alteration of long duration. In general, all those diseases that last for more than six months are considered as such. Many of them could be fatal If there were no medical means to control them, many of them could be fatal.

Some examples of chronic diseases are disorders of genetic origin, diabetes or HIV (currently controlled by medication).

8. State or terminal illness

We are facing a terminal problem when the condition or injury presented by the patient involves his or her death within a relatively short period of time. involves their death in a relatively short period of timeThe patient is expected to die within a relatively short period of time, usually about six months (although it can be prolonged), and it is expected that this alteration will be the cause of death. The best known example is that of metastatic Cancer in its late stages.

Medical prognosis

As we have seen above, there are multiple categories that allow us to determine the repercussions that the suffering of different diseases have or may have. This state would refer to the current moment, but it is the basis that allows us to try to predict how the health of the person or patient in question will evolve.

This prediction regarding the most probable course that an illness or injury may follow and the possibilities of overcoming it is what is known as prognosis. This prognosis is derived from the body of data available on the patient's current condition, history, environment and the disease or injury in question. the disease or injury in question.

Types of prognosis

As with a disease state, we can find different types of prognosis. The prognosis itself does not necessarily have to be related to the disorder that the subject presents (although this has an influence), but rather to the expectation in each specific case. Thus, for example, two patients with the same type of cancer may have a different prognosis, for example, two patients with the same type of cancer can have different prognoses.

Favorable or good prognosis

A favorable or good prognosis is considered to be present in those cases in which the existing evidence suggests that the course of the disease from which the patient is suffering will lead to recovery.

2. Moderate or intermediate prognosis

This type of prognosis indicates that the expectation regarding the patient's state of health is not extremely positive but that there are no data that suggest the possibility of death. that suggest the possibility of death in the immediate future.. It may imply, however, the presence of functional limitations or even some type of disability.

3. Severe prognosis, or poor prognosis

When we speak of a severe prognosis we are referring, as its name indicates, to the fact that the conditions of a given patient suggest that there is a severe risk of death or severe life limitations. a severe risk of death or severe limitations in his or her life..

4. Guarded prognosis

The term guarded prognosis is used to refer to a situation in which the physicians and professionals in charge of a patient are unable to determine the possible evolution or expectation regarding the outcome of the patient's condition.. Typical of times when there is insufficient information to speculate on the patient's future or when there is a risk of complications.

An example of this could be found in the prognosis of a patient who has suffered a traffic accident and is unconscious and with a craniocerebral trauma, but whose degree of involvement is not yet known.