Whether healthcare providers use the term remission or cure to describe the effect of treatment on diabetes or any disease depends on what is known about the disease.
“Cure” is typically used when discussing the treatment of a wide variety of infections, some conditions causing pain, and various other medical problems. It is typically used when there is broad consensus (most people agree) that eliminating the cause of the disease makes it go away indefinitely.
“Remission” is usually used when health care professionals are discussing chronic, long-term conditions for which the underlying cause is unclear. When remissions occur, detectable and clinically important aspects of the disease resolve. Therefore, from the perspective of both the patient and the health care provider, the disease does not appear to be present. However, based on what is known about the disease being treated, the health care provider knows that there is a reasonable chance that the disease can reactivate and symptoms and signs can return. Diseases for which the term remission is typically used include diabetes, most cancers, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, many psychiatric illnesses, and others. In several examples, once the underlying cause of the disease was found, remissions were turned into cures!
To summarize, the difference between “cure” and “remission” is not always obvious. “Cure” is used when there is a high expectation that the treatment will eliminate the disease forever. “Remission” is used when current understanding of the disease suggests that the symptoms and signs may go away, but the disease remains. As medical progress is made, diseases that can only be put into remission today could be definitively cured tomorrow.
About the author
Hertzel Gerstein
Hertzel is an endocrinologist and professor at McMaster University who is in high demand as a speaker, advocate, and educator on diabetes-related topics. His research focuses on using large, international randomized trials to identify and test new ways of preventing type 2 diabetes, reducing serious health outcomes like strokes and death, and achieving type 2 diabetes remissions.