Remission is a reduction in symptoms of a chronic disease, commonly used in reference to cancer. There are two types: partial and complete. Complete remission means symptoms have stopped, but the disease may still be present. Relapse is possible, and doctors are reluctant to declare a complete cure. Patients still need to be monitored regularly. Spontaneous remission can occur, but the cause is unknown.
In medicine, remission is defined as a reduction in the symptoms of a chronic disease. People most commonly use this term in reference to cancers. When someone is in remission, it means that the condition is not getting worse and may be actively improving, but symptoms may flare up. It’s not a cure; the use of the “cure” implies complete freedom from the disease, with no expected return of symptoms.
There are two types of remission: partial and complete. In partial remission, the patient is making progress towards fighting the disease, but the signs of the disease are still present. For example, when a tumor begins to shrink, the patient can be said to be in partial remission. In complete remission, the symptoms have stopped altogether, but the patient may not be treated, because the disease may still be lurking in the body.
Signs of a disease may re-emerge after several years in complete remission, in which case the patient is said to be in “relapse”. If a patient hasn’t relapsed after a set amount of time, the doctor may go ahead and say the patient is cured, which indicates that the need for intensive monitoring and concern is over. However, doctors are usually reluctant to declare a complete cure, because chronic diseases can be so difficult to manage and treat and can lie dormant in the body for a long time.
As a general rule, when someone is in remission, it’s cause for celebration, but the battle isn’t over yet. Cancer patients in particular can get false hope from such a period, especially if they mistake it for being cured. During a period of remission, patients still need to be tested regularly and monitored closely for signs of the disease returning. Routine testing may include scans with medical imaging equipment and blood tests, along with physical exams and casual interviews with patients to see how they’re feeling.
Sometimes, a patient experiences what is known as a spontaneous remission. When this happens, the cause of the remission is not known. This type is more likely in younger patients with strong immune systems, although it can also occur in older patients. Despite efforts to explore the causes, medical researchers aren’t sure why some people randomly make full recoveries from chronic diseases, while others fall ill and die from the same conditions.
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