Chronic Illness Management

Chronic diseases persist for months and years, causing pain and disability and often lowering life expectancy. If you need help managing a long-term health problem, contact internal medicine expert Iryne Zziwa-Kabenge, MSN, CRNP, AAHIVS, at Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice in Owings Mills, Maryland. She provides in-home services, a convenient arrangement that means you don’t need to worry about traveling to a clinic for chronic illness management. Call Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice today to request a chronic illness evaluation, or use the online form to complete your booking.

What is chronic illness management?

Chronic illness management provides ongoing care that helps you manage long-term health problems. Chronic diseases last months, years, or (if they’re incurable) a lifetime. They’re tough to live with, and you’re more likely to develop health complications if you have one or more ongoing conditions.

Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice provides chronic illness management as part of its comprehensive primary care service. Iryne also delivers urgent care for acute conditions, episodic care for specific illnesses, and geriatric care for older adults.

Iryne offers personalized, patient-centered in-home care and medical house call services. She visits patients in their homes, whether they’re private residences or assisted-living facilities.

Who benefits from chronic illness management?

Any patient who has a long-term health problem can benefit from chronic illness management. 

Common conditions include diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), respiratory disorders like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and cancer. Chronic pain from fibromyalgia and arthritis is also a considerable problem.

Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice specializes in chronic illness management for people who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is an infection spread through sex or exposure to infected blood. 

The virus often stays dormant for many years before causing significant problems. Eventually, it can develop into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

AIDS is a potentially life-threatening disease because the virus damages your immune system, reducing your body’s ability to combat infection. HIV/AIDS has no cure, but medications can now control the condition and prevent its progression.

What does chronic illness management involve?

Chronic illness management includes routine visits from Iryne to monitor your condition. She completes a physical exam and blood pressure check, then discusses your symptoms, how well your medications work, and any problems you experience. 

You might also need specific care for certain diseases, like a diabetic foot check if you have diabetes.

Patients who have HIV require antiretroviral therapy (ART), a combination of medications from several drug classes. ART maximizes virus suppression, combats drug resistance, and helps to prevent new drug-resistant HIV strains.

Certain health problems that tend to develop as you age can be harder to manage if you also have HIV. For example, drugs commonly used for age-related heart, metabolic, and bone disorders may not interact well with ART. 

Iryne’s expertise in HIV medicine and geriatric care ensures that you manage problems like these successfully.

Call Zziwa Adult Clinical Practice today or book an appointment online for first-class chronic illness management.