Acute Illnesses: What They Are and How Primary Care Can Help You Recover Faster

Primary care can benefit your health in many ways. For instance, annual physicals are a great way to help prevent chronic (long-term) conditions such as diabetes, and build a relationship with your provider should future issues arise.

However, even if you and your provider work together to build an optimal healthy lifestyle, you will still develop acute (sudden) illnesses, whether it’s the common cold, a pulled muscle, or strep throat. 

At HealthStone Primary Care Partners in Hollywood, Florida, Charles Stone, MD, and the rest of our team are passionate about the role primary care can play in protecting your overall wellness, especially when acute illnesses arise.

In this month’s blog, we define acute illnesses and discuss how our primary care team can help.

Defining acute illnesses

An acute illness is any health condition that has a sudden or severe onset, requires medical intervention, and resolves within a month. Acute illnesses can range from mild to severe. While some acute illnesses can resolve through at-home remedies, others need immediate medical attention. 

Some examples of acute illnesses include:

• Common cold and other respiratory illnesses
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Sprain or fracture 
• Sinus infection
• Vomiting, diarrhea, and other signs of stomach flu

An acute illness is the opposite of a chronic illness, which typically develops slowly and gradually worsens over time. Most chronic illnesses require ongoing medical management and may include hypertension, arthritis, osteoporosis, and asthma.

How primary care works for acute illnesses 

Sometimes, it’s clear when you need to seek medical intervention for an acute illness. For example, if you have symptoms of appendicitis or suspect you’re having a heart attack or stroke, we recommend immediate emergency care. 

At other times, whether you require a doctor’s visit may be less clear. For instance, if you have symptoms of a cold, you can usually manage with home remedies such as rest, over-the-counter pain relief, and throat lozenges. 

However, we recommend scheduling a visit if your symptoms don’t improve as expected, you develop a high fever, or find it difficult to rest at night. Otherwise, we always encourage our patients to see Dr. Stone whenever they have concerns about their health.  

Other symptoms that require medical care include:

• Shortness of breath
• Confusion
• Inability to hold fluids due to frequent vomiting or diarrhea
• Moderate to severe muscle or joint aches and pains
• Fever not responding to over-the-counter medicines
• Moderate to severe headaches

Our team will assess your symptoms and administer any necessary treatments to keep your illness from developing into something more serious, such as pneumonia or a systemic infection.

When you’ve established a rapport with a healthcare professional who’s familiar with your history, we can quickly consider co-existing conditions and other personal health factors. 

To schedule a primary care visit for an acute illness or a general wellness check at HealthStone Primary Care Partners, call our office or use our online booking feature today.