French Expression of the Day: Affection longue durée
Well, you don't want to get the wrong end of the stick if your GP mentions it.
What does it mean?
Affection longue durée
–
pronounced affec-syon long dyour-ray
- might sound like it's a long-lasting friendship or a romantic entanglement that goes on for a long time.
But in fact in French
affection
is a tricky word - it can be used in the same way as in English to mean feeling warm, friendly or loving towards a person.
Un sentiment d'affection
or
un sens d'affection
would describe the feeling.
But
une affection
means an ailment or a medical condition.
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On its own its not very commonly used -
une maladie
or
un malaise
would be more common for talking about medical conditions in daily life.
But the phrase
affection longue durée
- literally translating as a long-lasting illness - has a very specific meaning.
Often referred to by the initialisation ALD, it is the umbrella term for a range of long-term or chronic conditions that require prolonged treatment - ranging from diabetes and asthma to stroke and heart disease, taking in illnesses such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, and paraplegia.
It also takes in infertility treatments for women, celiac disease and help for deaf children.
The definition is important because a
nyone with a recognised ALD may be entitled to up to 100 percent of the cost of related care covered by the healthcare system. In fact, there's a list – known as the
ALD 30
– of conditions that qualify for this level of reimbursement. It's a non-exhaustive list, as today additional conditions are recognised as requiring care lasting more than six months.
Having an ALD may also entitle you to certain benefits or financial aid, so if you have an illness that you think qualifies you, it's well worth talking to your doctor about getting the official ALD designation.
Use it like this
Pour faire reconnaître une maladie comme affection de longue durée, vous devez consulter votre médecin traitant –
To have a condition recognised as a long-term illness, you must consult your GP.
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