Reactions
Reactions (Medicine)
Reactions (pronounced: ree-ak-shuns) in the context of medicine, refers to the body's response to a particular stimulus, such as a drug, allergen, or other foreign substance.
Etymology
The term 'reaction' originates from the Latin word 'reactio', which means 'a response'. In the medical context, it has been used since the early 19th century to describe the body's physiological responses.
Types of Reactions
There are several types of reactions in medicine, including:
- Adverse Drug Reactions: These are harmful or unpleasant reactions, resulting from an intervention related to the use of a medicinal product, which predicts hazard from future administration and warrants prevention or specific treatment, or alteration of the dosage regimen, or withdrawal of the product.
- Allergic Reactions: These are hypersensitivity reactions of the immune system to specific substances called allergens (such as pollen, stings, drugs, or food) that, in most people, result in no symptoms.
- Immunologic Reactions: These are reactions that occur when the immune system responds to a foreign substance (antigen) such as bacteria, viruses, or a drug.
Related Terms
- Anaphylaxis: A severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
- Hypersensitivity: An exaggerated or inappropriate immune reaction.
- Tolerance: The body's reduced response to a drug after repeated use.
- Sensitization: The process by which a person's immune system becomes increasingly sensitive to a substance.
- Desensitization: A method to reduce or eliminate an organism's negative reaction to a substance or stimulus.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Reactions
- Wikipedia's article - Reactions
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski