Medical Encyclopedia: Acute (Print Version)

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Medical Encyclopedia: Acute

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002215.htm

Definition

Acute means sudden or severe. Acute symptoms appear, change, or worsen rapidly. It is the opposite of chronic.

Update Date: 12/15/2006

Updated by: Robert Hurd, MD, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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