Acute Conditions

Acute health problems cause unpleasant, sometimes painful symptoms that develop in hours or days. If you need urgent health care, contact internal medicine expert Iryne Zziwa-Kabenge, MSN, CRNP, AAHIVS, at Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice in Owings Mills, Maryland. She provides timely care for acute conditions, delivered with warmth and compassion. Call Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice to request an acute care appointment or complete the online booking form today.

What are acute conditions?

Acute conditions are health problems that develop rapidly, typically over hours or days. In contrast, chronic conditions last months, years, or a lifetime and require ongoing care.

Common acute conditions include:

• Colds
• Flu
• Eye infections
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Strep throat
• Upset stomachs
• Dehydration
• Sinus infections
• Earache
• Headaches and migraines

These illnesses are typically unpleasant but not dangerous if you’re generally in good health. A few days of rest and sensible self-care should enable your immune system to successfully fight off these infections. 

However, they’re sometimes more severe, leading to complications in older adults and people who have weakened immune systems.

Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice specializes in providing acute condition care to older adults and those with chronic diseases like HIV/AIDS that affect immune system function. Iryne also offers episodic care and chronic illness management.

What symptoms of acute conditions require medical attention?

Many acute symptoms are familiar to most people — runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, and a cough when you have a cold, or diarrhea and vomiting when you get a stomach flu. 

Unless your symptoms are severe, worsen instead of improving after a few days, or leave you feeling poorly when you recover, there’s often no need to see a medical professional.

However, you should call Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice if you develop certain symptoms, such as:

• Limb weakness
• Blood in your urine
• Coughing up blood or discolored phlegm
• Angina (chest pain)
• High fever
• Rectal bleeding
• Skin or eye discoloration
• Persistent pain

These symptoms might point to a more serious acute condition, like pleurisy, pneumonia, or bronchitis. Or they could be signs of a disorder that would benefit from early intervention, like colorectal cancer or liver disease.

In addition, people who have HIV/AIDS are vulnerable to conditions like pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), candidiasis (thrush), cytomegalovirus (herpes), cryptococcal meningitis (brain membrane inflammation), peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), and HIV-associated nephropathy (kidney disease).

In some cases, symptoms warrant a call to 911. For example, severe chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, and dizziness could indicate a heart attack that requires emergency hospital treatment.

How are acute conditions treated?

Rest, drinking fluids regularly, and taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications typically help patients overcome milder illnesses. However, if you have long-term health conditions like diabetes or your symptoms are more severe, you should call Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice.

Iryne provides convenient in-home care and medical house call services, visiting you at your private home or assisted-living facility.

To schedule a consultation or request more information on acute conditions, call Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice today or book an appointment online.