Table 1

Four areas of life-limiting conditions9

AreasExamples of conditions
1. Life-threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can failCancer
Cardiac anomalies
Irreversible organ failure
2. Conditions that may entail long periods of intensive treatment aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in normal activities, although premature death is still possible or inevitableCystic fibrosis
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
HIV/AIDS
3. Progressive conditions without curative treatments, where intervention is exclusively palliative, although it may continue for many yearsBatten disease
Mucopolysaccharidosis
Creutzfelt Jacob disease
4. Conditions associated with severe neurological disability that are not progressive but can entail weakness and susceptibility to health complications leading to premature deathBrain or spinal cord injuries