Adolescents with chronic conditions

Abstract

Chronic conditions have long been a reality for adults and the elderly. Seventy years ago, it was uncommon for child with a chronic condition to achieve adulthood, and even more exceptional was a baby with a significant pulmonary illness or cardiomyopathy to live more than a couple of months. However, the past century has seen dramatic changes occurring in the world of health sciences. The rise of antibiotics and the discovery of insulin therapy have paved the way to high-tech cardiac palliative surgery and specific immune-modulators. Fortunately, children have much benefited from these revolutions.