Choroby przewlekłe u dzieci i młodzieży jako narastający problem społeczny

The aim of this paper is to explore issues related to children and adolescents with chronic diseases and their social functioning in Poland. The article begins with a theoretical framework, including definitions of categorical and non‑categorical chronic diseases. The author presents the data on occurrence of chronic conditions, social assistance for families with children with chronic conditions, education system (children with chronic conditions as children with special educational needs) and home education. In the second part the author looks at the functioning of children and adolescents with chronic diseases in social institutions (family, school, etc.). In the final section some recommendations with respect to improving the social functioning of children and adolescents with chronic conditions are discussed.