Terminology / Definitions Flashcards
aetiology (etiology)
The study of causes of disease.
iatrogenic
Caused from medical intervention
idiopathic
Of unknown cause
Pathogenesis
Mechanism and progress of disease
Epidemiology
The study of patterns of health and disease.
Incidence of disease
The amount of NEW cases
Prevalence of disease
The total number of cases
Morbidity
Incidence of disease in a population
Mortality
Death rate
Drug
Any substance used to modify physiological systems or pathological states for the benefit of the recipient.
Pharmacokinetics
The effect of the body on the drug after administration.
Pharmacodynamics
The effect of the drug on the body.
Remember TNT - dynamite - blows up the body
Drug tolerance
Repeated use of a drug leads to decrease in effect.
Drug dependence
Enables day to day survival - eg. Insulin
Tachyphylaxis
Diminished responsiveness following repeat dosing of the same drug concentration. Eg. GTN patches.
Adverse drug reaction
Unintended response to drug given in normal dose/treatment.
Adverse drug event
Injury resulting from medical intervention related to a drug, but not caused from the drug itself. Eg, wrong drug given, wrong patient.
Adverse effect
Unwanted effect resulting from pathway other than the one targeted.
Drug affinity
Mechanism of binding
Drug specificity
One target, one effect. How well the drug binds to the target, compared to other receptors.
NB. No drugs claim to have complete specificity.
Drug selectivity
How well the drug binds to the main target.
Potency
The amount of drug required to elicit a response.
Emax
Maximal efficacy (100%)
