What Is a Primary Disease?

Many medical illnesses are caused by underlying conditions that must be treated in order to cure the symptom that brought you to the doctor. This underlying condition is the primary disease.

Definition

• Primary diseases are those that appear without warning. They are not related to any condition that you've previously experienced.

Significance

• Primary diseases are not linked to any previous condition, but they do create secondary diseases.

Types

• Primary diseases can be chronic like asthma or acute like many cancers. Acute diseases are those that progress quickly and are short-lived.

Considerations

• In addition to being unaffiliated with prior conditions, primary diseases also do not form from previous injuries.

Misconceptions

• Mild conditions can be considered primary diseases. The common cold for example, is spontaneous and is unrelated to any prior condition. It also causes several secondary conditions like sinusitis, ear/throat infections and sometimes pneumonia.