Relapses are the clinical manifestations of diseases that occur after a temporary disappearance. They are always associated with the incomplete elimination of the causes of the pathological process.
The concept of relapse
Between periods of return of the disease, it can be from several days (in the case of colds and some infections) to several years. It depends on how much the functional insufficiency of organs or systems is compensated.
If the recovery was incomplete or there was a genetic condition, relapses are possible. It also depends on environmental influences. If the activity of the diseased body system is not fully restored, then relapses (this often happens with a premature return to work) are possible under normal conditions. Sometimes only extreme circumstances lead to them.
Clinical Dependence
In some diseases, the risk of relapse is so great that it is even reflected in their names. For example, relapsing fever.
Or recurrent paralysis, which is a symptom of a number of diseases affecting the nervous system. Spontaneous resumption of symptoms is characteristic of gout,
arthritis, rheumatism, and stomach ulcers. In psychiatry, it is customary to talk about the recurrent form of schizophrenia - the recurring nature of this ailment also appears from this name. Often chronic bronchitis and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract recur, such as pancreatitis and
erosive gastroduodenitis. A return course is characteristic of pathologies that affect the hematopoietic system
(pernicious anemia, leukemia).
Relapse may have a different clinical picture than the first manifestations of the disease. Moreover, both in severity of symptoms and in a qualitative sense. Take for example a disease such as rheumatism. Having arisen for the first time, it can occur in the form of chorea, then in the form of polyarthritis or rheumatic heart disease. The same disease in the later stages gives such a complication as heart failure. Symptoms of concomitant pathology dominate and dramatically change the clinical picture of relapse. This makes diagnosis difficult. It also complicates the treatment.
Diagnostics
Relapse is a factor that must be considered when conducting differential diagnosis. Especially with infectious diseases (for example, with malaria). If the primary manifestations of the disease are sufficiently distant in time, not amenable to accurate description and atypical, this can lead to the fact that relapse will be interpreted as the onset of the disease. Therefore, the collection of anamnesis is very important. Sometimes it makes sense to critically reevaluate early diagnoses and retrospectively analyze them.
Relapse prevention
Remission will be achieved the easier the treatment is started. It is better if the patient is well informed about the possibility of a relapsing course of the disease.
Then he will not be suppressed by the symptoms that suddenly appear again and will be able to respond more adequately, to begin treatment earlier. Rehabilitation measures after the acute phases of the disease are very important. They need to be carried out taking into account individual characteristics.