What are acute and chronic diseases?

Acute illness is an illness that comes on suddenly, such as an attack of vomiting after eating spoiled food. On the other hand, it is a chronic condition if the symptoms either continue or return from time to time for a period of months or years. Chronic diseases may become acute for a matter of time. An example is the diabetes, a chronic disease that is caused by improper storing and using of sugars by the body. However, by eating a special diet and taking certain drugs or injection of the hormone insulin, diabetics can usually keep their symptoms under control and lead a relatively normal life. But a diabetic who takes too much sugar or injects too much insulin may have a sudden acute attack that can result in unconsciousness.