B6 Preventing & Treating Disease

Question 1

What is a placebo?

Answer 1

During drug testing, a placebo is a fake injection or tablet that contains no drug. Some patients are given this without knowing it is fake.

It is used as a control to see if the drug is actually responsible for any effect observed.

Question 2

Painkillers do not cure infectious diseases. Why?

Answer 2

Painkillers do not kill pathogens, they only treat pain.

Question 3

When investigating the effects of different pain-killing drugs on volunteers, in what ways must the volunteers be matched?

Answer 3

E.g.

Age, gender, severity of initial pain, site of pain, body weight, fitness, ethnicity.

Question 4

Drug A offers pain relief immediately for a short time. Drug B offers pain relief for a long time but takes a while to kick in. Drug C offers pain relief immediately for a long time.

Drug C is more expensive than Drug A and Drug B combined.

A student proposes to take Drug A and Drug B together instead of Drug C.

What are the reasons in favour and against this idea?

Answer 4

In favour:
Drug A and B together could offer both immediate and long lasting pain relleif at a cheaper cost than buying Drug C.

Against:
Drugs A and B may intereact with eachother reducing the effectiveness or producing harmful effects. Could result in an overdose.