Final answer:
Chronic diseases are long-lasting health conditions, in contrast with acute diseases which are short-term. They include both noninfectious and infectious diseases that persist in the body, like diabetes and HIV/AIDS respectively. Prevention of many chronic diseases is possible through lifestyle choices, even though some are also influenced by genetic factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chronic diseases are defined as long-term illnesses that can last for months or even a lifetime. They contrast with acute diseases, which are short-lived and can either result in recovery or death in a brief period. Chronic diseases include conditions such as type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer that may be controlled with medication. In addition, some infectious diseases, such as HIV leading to AIDS, can also be considered chronic due to their persistence in the body and the inability of the immune system to eliminate the pathogen.
While chronic diseases may be associated with noninfectious factors and lifestyles, such as heart disease and diabetes, they can also result from infectious agents that maintain a continuous presence in the host. Endemic diseases, on the other hand, are illnesses that are consistently present at a substantial incidence within a population, such as malaria in tropical regions. The impact of chronic diseases on society is profound, as they are responsible for numerous deaths globally, yet many, particularly those associated with lifestyle factors, are preventable through lifestyle changes and medical interventions.