In medicine, an Adverse effect is an abnormal, harmful, undesired and/or unintended side-effect, although not necessarily unexpected, which is obtained as a result of a therapy or other medical intervention, such as drug/chemotherapy, physical therapy, surgery, medical procedure, use of a medical device, etc. Iatrogenesis (literally, generated by a physician) is a common cause of adverse effects, as well as medical error. Using a drug or other medical intervention which is contraindicated may increase the risk of adverse effects. Adverse effects may cause medical complications of a disease or procedure and negatively affect its prognosis. Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining human health or restoring it through the treatment of disease and injury. ... Look up Therapy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Therapy (in Greek: θεραπεία) or treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a diagnosis. ... In the United States, the FDA approves prescription drugs. ... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... Physical therapy (also known as physiotherapy) is an allied health profession concerned with the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and disability through physical means. ... A typical modern surgical operation For other uses, see Surgery (disambiguation). ... This article or section should be merged with Medical devices Medical equipment is machinery designed to aid medical therapies. ... Ancient Greek painting in a vase, showing a physician (iatros) bleeding a patient. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In medicine, a contraindication is a condition or factor that increases the risk involved in using a particular drug, carrying out a medical procedure or engaging in a particular activity. ... Risk is the potential harm that may arise from some present process or from some future event. ... Complication, in medicine, is a unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. ... Prognosis (older Greek πρόγνωσις, modern Greek πρόγνωση - literally fore-knowing, foreseeing) is a medical term denoting the doctors prediction of how a patients disease will progress, and whether there is chance of recovery. ...

The harmful outcome is usually indicated by some result such as morbidity, mortality, alteration in body weight, levels of enzymes, loss of function or as a pathological change detected at the microscopic, macroscopic or physiological level. They may cause a reversible or irreversible change, including an increase or decrease in the susceptibility of the individual to other chemicals, foods, or procedures (e.g. drug interaction). In epidemiology, the morbidity rate is a ratio that measures the incidence and prevalence of a specific disease. ... ... Ribbon diagram of the catalytically perfect enzyme TIM. An enzyme is a protein that catalyzes, or speeds up, a chemical reaction. ... Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. ... Drug interaction is a situation in which two or more separate drugs have been absorbed into the body and their effects are affected by each other, i. ...

Reporting systems

In many countries, adverse effects are required by law to be reported, researched in clinical trials and included into the patient information accompanying medical devices and drugs for sale to the public. In medicine, a clinical trial (synonyms: clinical studies, research protocols, medical research) is a research study. ...

USA

In the USA several reporting systems have been built, such as the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience Database (MAUDE) and the Special Nutritionals Adverse Event Monitoring System. MedWatch is the main reporting center, operated by the FDA. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is a United States program for vaccine safety, co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ...

Australia

In Australia, adverse effect reporting is administered by the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee (ADRAC), a subcommittee of the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC). Reporting is voluntary, and ADRAC requests health professionals to report all adverse reactions to its current drugs of interest, and serious adverse reactions to any drug. ADRAC publishes the Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Bulletin every 2 months. The Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee or ADRAC is a subcommittee of the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC) which monitors the safety of medicines in Australia. ... The Australian Drug Evaluation Committee or ADEC, is a committee that provides independent scientific advice to the Australian Government regarding therapeutic drugs. ...

Adverse effects of medical procedures

Surgery, of course, may have a number of undesirable or harmful after effects, such as infection, hemorrhage, inflammation, scarring, loss of function, changes in local blood flow, and so on. They can be reversible or irreversible, and a compromise must be found by the physician and the patient between the beneficial or life-saving consequences of surgery versus its adverse effects. For example, a limb may be lost to amputation in case of untreatable gangrene, but life is saved. Presently, one of the greatest advantages of minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic surgery is the reduction of adverse effects. Infected (Radio Show) is also the name of an internet radio podcast hosted by Martin Sargent. ... A subconjunctival hemorrhage is a common and relatively minor post-LASIK complication. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. ... Blood flow is the flow of blood in the cardiovascular system. ... Partial hand amputation bilateral above elbow amputee playing beach volleyball Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. ... It has been suggested that gas gangrene be merged into this article or section. ... A minimally invasive medical procedure is defined as one that is carried out by entering the body through the skin or through a body cavity or anatomical opening, but with the smallest damage possible to these structures. ... Laparoscopic surgery, also called keyhole surgery (when natural body openings are not used), bandaid surgery, or minimally invasive surgery (MIS), is a surgical technique. ...

Other non-surgical physical procedures such as high intensity radiotherapy may cause burns and alterations in the skin. In general, these therapies try to avoid damage to healthy tissues while maximizing the therapeutic effect. Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ... It has been suggested that Cold burn be merged into this article or section. ... Diagram of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... Biological tissue is any substance made up of cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ...

Vaccination is a medical procedure which is particularly prone to adverse effects, due to the nature of its biological preparation (sometimes using attenuated pathogens and toxins). Common adverse effects may be fever, malaise and local reactions in the vaccination site, such as eczema vaccinatum, a severe, sometimes fatal complicaition which may result in persons who have eczema or atopic dermatitis, and, as such, those persons should not be vaccinated, even if the condition is currently not active. Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering live, albeit weakened, microbes to patients, with the intent of conferring immunity against a targeted form of a related disease agent. ... A pathogen (literally birth of pain from the Greek παθογένεια) is a biological agent that can cause disease to its host. ... For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ... See Fever for the Kylie Minogue album; Fever is also a song by Otis Blackwell. ... Malaise is a term used to refer to a general state of discomfort, tiredness, or illness. ... Eczema vaccinatum skin rash. ... Complication, in medicine, is a unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dermatitis is a term literally meaning inflammation of the skin. It is usually used to refer to eczema, which is also known as Dermatitis eczema. ...

Diagnostic procedures may also have adverse effects, depending much on whether they are invasive, non-invasive or minimally invasive. For example, allergic reactions to x-ray contrasting material often occur, a colonoscopy may cause the perforation of the intestine wall, etc. The term invasive in Medicine has two meanings: A medical procedure which penetrates or breaks the skin or a body cavity, i. ... The term non-invasive in medicine has two meanings: A medical procedure which does not penetrate or break the skin or a body cavity, i. ... A minimally invasive medical procedure is defined as one that is carried out by entering the body through the skin or through a body cavity or anatomical opening, but with the smallest damage possible to these structures. ... An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is an immune system malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ... Colonoscopy is the minimally invasive endoscopic examination of the large colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. ...

Adverse effects of drugs

Main article: adverse drug reaction

Adverse effects can occur as a collateral or side effect of many interventions, but they are particularly important in pharmacology, due to its wider, and sometimes uncontrollable, use by way of self-medication. Thus, responsible drug use becomes an important issue here. An adverse drug reaction (abbreviated ADR) is a term to describe the unwanted, negative consequences sometimes associated with the use of medications. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how chemical substances interact with living systems. ... Self-medication is the use of drugs, sometimes illicit, to treat a perceived or real malady, often of a psychological nature. ... It has been suggested that Responsible Drug Users Oath be merged into this article or section. ...

Adverse effects, like intended effects of drugs, are a function of dosage or drug levels at the target organs, so they may be avoided or decreased by means of careful and precise pharmacodynamics (the change of drug levels in the organism in function of time after administration). Dosage is Collective Souls fourth studio album, released on February 9, 1999. ... Pharmacodynamics is the study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and the mechanisms of drug action and the relationship between drug concentration and effect. ...

Adverse effects may also be caused by drug interaction, i.e., when physicians fail to check for all medicaments a patient is taking and prescribe new ones which interact agonistically or antagonistically (potentiate or decrease the intended therapeutic effect). Significant morbidity and mortality is caused around the world because of this. Drug-drug and food-drug interactions may occur, and even so-called "natural drugs" used in alternative medicine may have dangerous adverse effects. For example, extracts of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), a phytotherapic used for treating mild depression are known to cause an increase in the cytochrome P450 enzymes responsible for the metabolism and elimination of many drugs, so that patients taking it are likely to experience a reduction in blood levels of drugs that they are taking for other purposes, such as cancer chemotherapeutic drugs, protease inhibitors for HIV and oral contraceptives. Drug interaction is a situation in which two or more separate drugs have been absorbed into the body and their effects are affected by each other, i. ... In epidemiology, the morbidity rate is a ratio that measures the incidence and prevalence of a specific disease. ... It has been suggested that Complementary and alternative medicine be merged into this article or section. ... Binomial name Hypericum perforatum Linnaeus, St Johns wort used alone refers to the species Hypericum perforatum, also known as Klamath weed or Goat weed, but is used with qualifiers to refer to any species of the genus Hypericum. ... Clinical depression is a state of sadness or melancholia that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... Cytochrome P450 Oxidase (CYP2E1) Cytochrome P450 oxidase (commonly abbreviated CYP) is a generic term for a large number of related, but distinct, oxidative enzymes (EC 1. ... Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος (metabolismos)) is the biochemical modification of chemical compounds in living organisms and cells. ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... Protease inhibitor can refer to: Protease inhibitor (pharmacology): a class of medication that inhibits viral protease Protease inhibitor (biology): a group of proteins that inhibit proteases. ... Human immunodeficiency virus, commonly known by the initialism HIV, formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus, is a retrovirus that primarily infects vital components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. ... Oral contraceptives are contraceptives which are taken orally and inhibit the bodys fertility by chemical means. ...

The scientific field of activity associated with drug safety is increasingly government-regulated and is of major concern for the public as well as to drug manufacturers. The distinction between adverse and non-adverse effects is a major undertaking when a new drug is developed and tested before marketing it. This is done in toxicity studies to determine the non-adverse effect level (NOAEL). These studies are used to define the dosage to be used in human testing (phase I) as well as to calculate the maximum admissible daily intake. Imperfections in clinical trials, such as insufficient number of patients or short duration, sometimes lead to public health disasters such as those of fenfluramine (the so-called fen-phen episode), thalidomide and, more recently, of cerivastatin (Baycol®, Lipobay®) and rofecoxib (Vioxx®), where drastic adverse effects were observed, like teratogenesis, pulmonary hypertension, stroke, heart disease, neuropathy, etc., and a significant number of deaths, causing the forced or voluntary withdrawal of the drug from the market. Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Public health is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. ... Fenfluramine is a drug that was part of the Fen-Phen anti-obesity (the other drug being phentermine). ... Fen-phen was an anti-obesity medication (an anorectic) which consisted of two drugs: fenfluramine and phentermine. ... Thalidomide is a drug that was sold during the late 1950s and 1960s as a sleeping aid and to pregnant women as an antiemetic to combat morning sickness and other symptoms. ... In pharmacology, cerivastatin (Baycol®, Lipobay®) is a synthetic member of the class of statins, used to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. ... Rofecoxib (IPA: ) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that was used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dysmenorrhoea. ... Teratogenesis is a medical term from the Greek, literally meaning monster-making. ... In medicine, pulmonary hypertension (PH) or pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery or lung vasculature. ... A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted. ... There are different forms of heart disease: Coronary heart disease Ischaemic heart disease Cardiovascular disease Pulmonary heart disease The study of the heart (and diseases of the heart) is Cardiology. ... Neuropathy is a disease of the peripheral nervous system. ... Some drugs have been withdrawn from the market subsequently to their introduction due to risks for the patients. ...

Most drugs have a large list of non-severe or mild adverse effects which do not rule out the interruption of usage. These effects have widely variable incidence, according to individual sensitivity. They comprise nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, malaise, vomit, headache, dermatitis, dry mouth, etc. For other uses, see Nausea (disambiguation). ... Dizziness (Latin: Vertigo) is the sensation of instability. ... Diarrhea (American English) or diarrhoea (Commonwealth English) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery, chunky, or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ... Malaise is a term used to refer to a general state of discomfort, tiredness, or illness. ... Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ... A headache (medically known as cephalgia) is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head; sometimes upper back or neck pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... Dermatitis is a term literally meaning inflammation of the skin. It is usually used to refer to eczema, which is also known as Dermatitis eczema. ...

Controversies

Sometimes, putative medical adverse effects are regarded as controversial and generate heated discussions in society and lawsuits against drug manufacturers. One example is the current controversy whether autism may be caused by the MMR vaccine (or by thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in some vaccines). No significant link has been decisively found so far; nevertheless lawsuits have been brought. Another instance is the potential adverse effects of silicone breast implants, which lead to hundreds of thousands of litigations against manufacturers of gel-based implants, due to allegations of damage to the immune system which have not yet been conclusively proven. A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in which the party commencing the action, the plaintiff, seeks a legal remedy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The MMR vaccine is a mixture of live but attenuated viruses, administered via injection for immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 200. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease, in order to prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by any natural or wild strain of the organism. ... Silicones, or polysiloxanes, are inorganic polymers consisting of a silicon-oxygen backbone (...-Si-O-Si-O-Si-O-...) with side groups attached to the silicon atoms. ... Breast implant diagram Saline-filled breast implants Silicone gel-filled breast implants Breast implants A breast implant is a prosthesis used in cosmetic surgery to enlarge the size of a womans breasts (known as breast augmentation) or to reconstruct the breast (for example, after a mastectomy, or during male... The immune system is the system of specialized cells and organs that protect an organism from outside biological influences. ...

Due to the exceedingly high impact on public health of widely used medications, such as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, which may affect millions of users, even marginal probabilities of adverse effects of a severe nature, such as breast cancer, have led to public outcry and changes in medical therapy, although its benefits largely surpassed the statistical risks. Oral contraceptives are chemicals taken by mouth to inhibit normal fertility. ... Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a system of medical treatment for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, based on the assumption that it may prevent discomfort and health problems caused by diminished circulating estrogen hormones. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ...

Limitations of adverse effects reporting

In principle, medical professionals are required to report all adverse effects related to a specific form of therapy. In practice, it is at the discretion of the professional to determine whether a medical event is at all related to the therapy. For example, a leg fracture in a skiing accident in a patient who years before took antibiotics for pneumonia is not likely to get reported. A fracture is the separation of a body into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress. ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the microscopic, air-filled sacs (alveoli) responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ...

As a result, routine adverse effects reporting may often not include long-term and subtle effects that may ultimately be attributed to a therapy.

Examples of adverse effects

• Abortion, miscarriage or uterine hemorrhage associated with misoprostol (Cytotec®), a labor-inducing drug (this is a case where the adverse effect has been used legally and illegally for performing abortions)
• Addiction to many sedatives and analgesics such as diazepam, morphine, etc.
• Bleeding of the intestine associated with aspirin therapy
• Deafness and kidney failure associated with gentamicin (an antibiotic)
• Death, following sedation in children using propofol (Diprivan®)
• Dementia associated with heart bypass surgery
• Depression or hepatic injury caused by interferon
• Diabetes caused by atypical antipsychotic medications (neuroleptic psychiatric drugs)
• Diarrhea caused by the use of orlistat (Xenical®)
• Erectile dysfunction associated with many drugs, such as antidepressants
• Fever associated with vaccination (in the past, imperfectly manufactured vaccines, such as BCG and poliomyelitis, have caused the very disease they intended to fight).
• Glaucoma associated with corticosteroid-based eye drops
• Hair loss and anemia may be caused by chemotherapy against cancer, leukemia, etc.
• Headache following spinal anesthesia
• Hypertension in ephedrine users, which prompted FDA to remove the status of dietary supplement of ephedra extracts
• Insomnia caused by stimulants, Ritalin®, Adderall®, etc.
• Lactic acidosis associated with the use of stavudine (Zerit®, for anti-HIV therapy) or metformin (for diabetes)
• Melasma and thrombosis associated with oral contraceptive use
• Rhabdomyolysis associated with statins (anti-cholesterol drugs)
• Seizures caused by withdrawal from benzodiazepine
• Sleepiness or increase in appetite due to antihistamine use
• Stroke or heart attack associated with sildenafil (Viagra®) when used with nitroglycerine
• Suicide, increased tendency associated to the use of fluoxetine and other SSRI antidepressants
• Tardive dyskinesia associated with long-term use of metoclopramide and many antipsychotic medications

Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or accidental termination of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or the fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined at a gestation of prior to 20 weeks. ... Matrilineality is a system in which one belongs to ones mothers lineage; it may also involve the inheritance of property or titles through the female line. ... A subconjunctival hemorrhage is a common and relatively minor post-LASIK complication. ... Misoprostol is a prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogue used for the treatment and prevention of stomach ulcers. ... Misoprostol is a prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogue used for the treatment and prevention of stomach ulcers. ... Addiction is a compulsion to repeat a behaviour regardless of its consequences. ... A sedative is a drug that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), which causes calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, slowed breathing, slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. ... For other uses of painkiller, see painkiller (disambiguation) An analgesic (colloquially known as painkiller) is any member of the diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain. ... Diazepam, marketed under brand names of Valium®, Seduxen® and, in Europe, Apozepam® and Diapam®, is a 1,4-benzodiazepine derivative, which possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. ... See Morphia for the Dutch metal band. ... Bleeding is the loss of blood from the body. ... The intestine is the portion of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. ... Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. ... This article is about hearing impairment in the patholocial sense. ... Renal failure is when the kidneys fail to function properly. ... Gentamicin is a aminoglycoside antibiotic, and can treat many different types of bacterial infections, particularly Gram-negative infection. ... An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ... Sedation is a medical procedure involving administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure, such as endoscopy, vasectomy, or minor surgery with local anaesthesia. ... Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic agent used for the induction of general anesthesia in adult patients and pediatric patients older than 3 years of age; maintenance of general anesthesia in adult patients and pediatric patients older than 2 months of age; and intensive care unit (ICU) sedation for intubated, mechanically... Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic agent used for the induction of general anesthesia in adult patients and pediatric patients older than 3 years of age; maintenance of general anesthesia in adult patients and pediatric patients older than 2 months of age; and intensive care unit (ICU) sedation for intubated, mechanically... For other senses of this word, see dementia (disambiguation). ... A coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or heart bypass is a surgical procedure performed in patients with coronary artery disease (see atherosclerosis) for the relief of angina and possible improved heart muscle function. ... Sad redirects here; for the three letter acronym, see SAD, or for the Quranic sura see Sad Depression, or, more properly, a depressed mood, refers to a state of non-clinical melancholia that is shorter than 2 weeks in duration and distinctly differentiated from a diagnosis of clinical depression. ... Cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver in which liver tissue is replaced by connective tissue, resulting in the loss of liver function. ... Interferons (IFNs) are natural proteins produced by the cells of the immune systems of most animals in response to challenges by foreign agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and tumor cells. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... The atypical antipsychotics (also known as second generation antipsychotics) are a class of prescription medications used to treat psychiatric conditions. ... Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). ... Diarrhea (American English) or diarrhoea (Commonwealth English) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery, chunky, or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ... Orlistat (marketed as Xenical) is a drug designed to treat obesity. ... Orlistat (marketed as Xenical) is a drug designed to treat obesity. ... Erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence, is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis for satisfactory sexual intercourse regardless of the capability of ejaculation. ... An antidepressant is a medication designed to treat or alleviate the symptoms of clinical depression. ... See Fever for the Kylie Minogue album; Fever is also a song by Otis Blackwell. ... Vaccination is a term coined by Edward Jenner for the process of administering live, albeit weakened, microbes to patients, with the intent of conferring immunity against a targeted form of a related disease agent. ... Bacillus of Calmette and Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine against tuberculosis that is prepared from a strain of the attenuated (weakened) live bovine tuberculosis bacillus, Mycobacterium bovis that has lost its virulence in humans by specially culturing in artificial medium for years. ... Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ... In physiology, corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex. ... Categories: Animation stubs ... Baldness (formally alopecia) is the state of lacking hair where it usually would grow, especially on the head. ... This article discusses the medical condition. ... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... Leukemia (leukaemia in Commonwealth English) is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes). ... A headache (medically known as cephalgia) is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head; sometimes upper back or neck pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... Spinal anaesthesia is a form of local, or more specifically regional, anaesthesia involving injection of a local anaesthetic into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), generally through a long fine needle. ... For other forms of hypertension see hypertension (disambiguation) Hypertension or high blood pressure is a medical condition wherein the blood pressure is chronically elevated. ... Ephedrine (EPH) is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a decongestant and to treat hypotension associated with regional anaesthesia. ... A prescribed dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients (usually vitamins or minerals) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ... Species See text. ... It has been suggested that Primary insomnia be merged into this article or section. ... Methylphenidate (C14H19NO2), or MPH, is an amphetamine-like prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adults. ... Adderall® CII is a pharmaceutical amphetamine used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. ... Lactic acidosis is a condition caused by the buildup of lactic acid in the body. ... Stavudine (2-3-didehydro-2-3-dideoxythymidine, d4T, brand name Zerit®) is a thymidine analogue active against HIV. It is phosphorylated by cellular kinases into active triphosphate. ... Human immunodeficiency virus, commonly known by the initialism HIV, formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus, is a retrovirus that primarily infects vital components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. ... Metformin (Glucophage®, Fortamet®, Riomet®) is an anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide class (its other members are the withdrawn agents phenformin and buformin). ... Melasma on adult females cheek. ... Thrombosis is the formation of a clot or thrombus inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. ... Oral contraceptives are chemicals taken by mouth to inhibit normal fertility. ... Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of skeletal muscle due to injury, either mechanical, physical or chemical. ... Lovastatin, the first statin to be marketed The statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) form a class of hypolipidemic agents, used as pharmaceuticals to lower cholesterol levels in people at risk for cardiovascular disease because of hypercholesterolemia. ... Cholesterol chemical structure Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol) and a lipid found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. ... This article is about the medical term, epileptic seizure, as distinct from psychogenic non-epileptic seizure. ... The benzodiazepines are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. ... A girl quietly at sleep Sleep is the fundamental anabolic process common to all life forms, plant and animal. ... The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger. ... An antihistamine is a drug which serves to reduce or eliminate effects mediated by histamine, an endogenous chemical mediator released during allergic reactions, through action at the histamine receptor. ... A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Sildenafil citrate, sold under the names Viagra, Revatio and (in the Indian subcontinent) Caverta, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. ... Sildenafil citrate, sold under the name Viagra, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. ... Nitroglycerin (also nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin, or glyceryl trinitrate) is a chemical compound, a heavy, colorless, poisonous, oily, explosive liquid obtained by nitrating glycerol. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... SSRI is an acronym that stands for several things: It is a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI also is used as the stock symbol for Silver Standard Resources Inc. ... Tardive dyskinesia is a serious neurological disorder caused by the long-term and/or high-dose use of dopamine antagonists, usually antipsychotics and among them especially the typical antipsychotics. ... Metoclopramide is a parasympathomimetic, and is also a potent dopamine antagonist that enters the central nervous system. ... The term antipsychotic is applied to a group of drugs used to treat psychosis. ...

See also

• Biosafety
• Contraindication
• Complication (medicine)
• Drug interaction
• Evidence-based medicine
• FDA
• Iatrogenesis
• List of withdrawn drugs
• Medical algorithm
• Medical error
• Medical prescription
• Perioperative mortality
• Responsible drug use
• Toxicology

Biosafety: prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, focusing both on ecology and human health. ... In medicine, a contraindication is a condition or factor that increases the risk involved in using a particular drug, carrying out a medical procedure or engaging in a particular activity. ... Complication, in medicine, is a unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. ... Drug interaction is a situation in which two or more separate drugs have been absorbed into the body and their effects are affected by each other, i. ... Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a medical movement based upon the application of the scientific method to medical practice, recognizing that many long-established medical traditions are not yet subjected to adequate scientific scrutiny. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ... Ancient Greek painting in a vase, showing a physician (iatros) bleeding a patient. ... Some drugs have been withdrawn from the market subsequently to their introduction due to risks for the patients. ... A medical algorithm is any computation, formula, survey, or look-up table, useful in healthcare. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A medical prescription (â„ž) is an order (often in written form) by a qualified health care professional to a pharmacist or other therapist for a treatment to be provided to their patient. ... Perioperative mortality is mortality in relation to surgery, usually taken as death within two weeks of a surgical procedure. ... It has been suggested that Responsible Drug Users Oath be merged into this article or section. ... Toxicology (from the Greek words toxicon and logos) is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. ...

External links

• Patient Safety Network. An extremely useful site, with a glossary and articles on all kinds of threats to patient safety, including adverse effects, drug reactions, medical error, iatrogenesis, etc.
• ADRD.org - Searchable Database of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)
• Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Bulletin - published bimonthly by ADRAC
• Drugs of Concern DrugIntel.com site for tort lawyers with up-to-date information on drugs that cause severe adverse effects)
• Medication Errors a FDA site.
• Medical Product Safety Information. MedWatch, an useful page from FDA, listing safety alerts for drugs, biologics, devices and dietary supplements, recalls, market withdrawals, public health advisories, links to the VAERS and MAUDE databases, etc.)
• Medical Devices Safety National Library of Medicine (Medline Plus, useful lists of conventional drug and medical device articles and websites)