Define That Term
Acute vs Chronic
In medicine, acute refers to conditions with a sudden onset and short duration, while chronic describes conditions that develop gradually and persist for a long time, often for months or years.
Ex:
Acute: a heart attack
Chronic: Diabetes
This term describes the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders occurring alongside a primary condition.
Comorbidity
True or false: Side effects are always dangerous
False
This is a written order from a healthcare provider for a specific medication and dosage.
Prescription
Exacerbation
A worsening of symptoms
The prefix "hypo-" means..
Below/ low
Ex. hypokalemia, hypoglycemia
A patient's infection spreads throughout the bloodstream. Is it localized or systemic?
Systemic
This refers to the way a drug is introduced into the body, such as by mouth or injection.
Route
Systemic vs localized
In medicine, a systemic condition affects the entire body or multiple organ systems, whereas a localized condition is confined to one specific area or organ.
For example, sepsis is a systemic condition because it involves widespread inflammation and infection throughout the body, while a skin abscess is localized to a specific area of skin.
The suffix "-itis" refers to......
Inflammation
Ex. appendicitis
This happens when a drug accumulates to harmful levels in the body, often from overdose or impaired clearance.
Toxicity
Define a drug's "Indication"
This term describes the reason or condition for which a drug is prescribed.
Prognosis
In medicine, prognosis refers to the predicted course and likely outcome of a disease, including chances of recovery, recurrence, or survival.
For example, the prognosis for early-stage breast cancer may be excellent with treatment, while the prognosis for advanced pancreatic cancer is often poor.
What is the term that refers to a life-threatening allergic reaction?
Anaphylaxis
This occurs when two or more drugs influence each other’s effects, potentially altering safety or effectiveness.
Drug interaction
This term refers to how well a patient follows their prescribed medication regimen.
Compliance / Adherence
Idiopathic
In medicine, idiopathic refers to a condition that arises spontaneously or has no identifiable cause despite thorough investigation.
For example, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease with scarring of lung tissue where no known cause can be found.
Polypharmacy
This is a specific situation or condition in which a drug should NOT be used because it may be harmful.
Contraindication
These are symptoms that occur when a patient stops taking a drug to which they have become dependent.
Withdrawal