Drug Monographs

Question 1

What is cardiac tamponade?

Answer 1

Compression of the heart by an accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac

Question 2

What is constrictive pericarditis?

Answer 2

A process where the sac-like covering of the heart (the pericardium) becomes thickened and scarred

Question 3

What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Answer 3

Increased contraction of left ventricle

Thickening of left ventricle

Due to abnormal genes in the heart

Question 4

What is hypovolaemia?

Answer 4

Decreased volume of circulating blood

Question 5

What is mitral stenosis?

Answer 5

Narrowing of the mitral valve

Question 6

What is hypoxaemia?

Answer 6

Abnormally low concentration of oxygen in the blood

Question 7

What is diathermy?

Answer 7

Surgical technique involving the production of heat in a part of the body by high-frequency electric currents, to stimulate the circulation, relieve pain, destroy unhealthy tissue, or cause bleeding vessels to clot

Question 8

What is cardioversion?

Answer 8

Cardioversion is a medical procedure by which an abnormally fast heart rate or other cardiac arrhythmia is converted to a normal rhythm using electricity or drugs

Question 9

What is angle-closure glaucoma?

Answer 9

(Closed-angle glaucoma)

When the iris bulges forward to narrow or block the drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris

Fluid then cannot circulate through the eye and pressure increases

Question 10

What is asthenia?

Answer 10

Abnormal physical weakness or fatigue

Question 11

What is angioedema?

Answer 11

Swelling of the deeper layers of the skin

Caused by a build-up of fluid

Symptoms can affect any part of the body, but usually eyes & lips

Question 12

What is aldosteronism?

Answer 12

Excessive secretion of aldosterone

Disturbs the balance of sodium, potassium, and water in the blood

Leads to high blood pressure

Question 13

What is agranulocytosis?

Answer 13

Decreases number of circulating granulocytes in the blood

Increased risk of infection

Question 14

What is aortic stenosis?

Answer 14

Narrowing of the aortic valve opening

Question 15

What is paraesthesia?

Answer 15

Burning or prickling sensation usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet, but can also occur in other parts of the body

Happens without warning, usually painless

Tingling or numbness, skin crawling, or itching

Question 16

What is enanthema?

Answer 16

Ulcer or eruption on a mucous-secreting surface

e.g. inside of the mouth

Question 17

What is gynaecomastia?

Answer 17

Common condition

Causes boys’ and men’s breasts to swell and enlargen

Most common in teenage boys and older men

Question 18

What is toxic epidermal necrolysis?

Answer 18

Life-threatening skin disorder

Blistering and peeling of the skin

Often caused by a drug reaction – usually antibiotics or anticonvulsives

Question 19

What is oligohydramnios?

Answer 19

Too little amniotic fluid around the baby during pregnancy

Question 20

What is a prodrug?

Answer 20

An inactive compound

Metabolised to active form of the drug

Primarily metabolised in the liver

e.g. ramipril

Question 21

What is cardiogenic shock?

Answer 21

The heart suddenly cannot pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs

Often caused by a severe heart attack

Not everyone who has a heart attack has cardiogenic shock

Question 22

What is phaeochromocytoma?

Answer 22

Rare tumor of adrenal gland tissue

Releases too much epinephrine and norepinephrine

Affects heart rate, metabolism, and blood pressure

Question 23

What is Prinzmetal’s angina?

Answer 23

Prinzmetal’s variant angina (PVA)

Recurrent episodes of chest pain (angina) that usually occur when a person is at rest, between midnight and early morning.

“Typical” angina, by contrast, is often triggered by physical exertion or emotional stress

Question 24

What is sick sinus syndrome?

Answer 24

Inability of the heart’s natural pacemaker (sinus node) to create a heart rate that’s appropriate for the body’s needs

Causes arrhythmias

Question 25

What is myasthenia gravis?

Answer 25

Chronic neuromuscular disease

Varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness

Most commonly affected muscles affect: eyes, face, and swallowing

Can cause double vision, drooping eyelids, trouble talking, and trouble walking

Question 26

What is thyrotoxicosis?

Answer 26

Excess thyroid hormone action at the tissue

Due to high circulating thyroid hormone concentrations

Question 27

What is hepatic encephalopathy?

Answer 27

Decline in brain function

Result of severe liver disease

Liver cannot remove toxins from your blood

Causes toxin buildup in blood, can lead to brain damage

Question 28

What is calciphylaxis?

Answer 28

Accumulation of calcium in small blood vessels in fat and skin

Question 29

What is haemothorax?

Answer 29

Collection of blood in the pleural cavity