Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Published : April 1, 2014 6:22 PM IST
Sometimes, terminologies used in the medical world sound more complicated that the disease or the condition itself. Most medical terms may sound scary but they often have a common and simple explanation. So here is today's word relapse.
'Relapse' is a term that you must have heard in relation to mental health or rehabilitation in drug, alcohol addiction. The dictionary defines relapse as return to the original or former state or condition. But in the medical context, the term relapse has more to it.
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Medically, a relapse can be an exacerbation, flare-up or sudden attack. A person suffering from a disease is said to have a 'relapsed' when there's a sudden appearance of new symptoms or when older symptoms that had improved to some extent with treatment, begin to worsen. It is also used for a combination of new and old symptoms. For a condition to be relapsed, the symptoms should last for at least 24 hours. However, when a condition has relapsed the symptoms may last for several days.
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