What is a long term health condition?
Long term conditions are health problems or illnesses which cannot be cured at present but can be controlled with medicines and other treatments.
Long term conditions include:
- diabetes
- heart disease
- asthma
- high blood pressure
- cancer or effects of cancer treatment
Thousands of people in Stockport are currently known to be living with one or more long term health condition. Find information on the most common long term health conditions in Stockport on our webpages.
The NHS has a complete guide to all other health conditions, symptoms and treatments, including what to do and when to get help.
There are many causes of long term conditions including:
- family history
- lifestyle factors
- exposure to harmful environmental influences
You can help to reduce your risk of developing many long term conditions by:
- eating a healthy diet and keeping a healthy weight
- move more
- stopping smoking
- keeping within recommended alcohol limits
If you're already living with a long term condition, a healthy lifestyle can help prevent flare ups, delay your condition getting worse and improve symptoms.