Category: A

Drugs used to cure tuberculosis infection. Pulmonary tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is treated with daily oral doses of antibiotics for at least 9 months. In some cases, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis have developed immunity to specific antituberculosis drugs, so most people with the disease take three or four…

Drugs that reduce fever. Fever can be reduced by drugs representing three different classes. Many of them are available without a prescription. The three types of antipyretics are salicylates, including aspirin; acetaminophen, sometimes called non-aspirin pain relievers; and nonsteroidal anti¬ inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and ketoprofen. Aspirin should not be taken by…

Drugs that reduce psychotic symptoms. Antipsychotic drugs do not cure schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, but help make it possible for people with those diseases to function more effectively. The condition of most people with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, improves when treated with antipsychotic drugs, although some people with psychotic illness are not helped much…

Drugs that address an imbalance between the primary neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine. Parkinson disease is caused by an imbalance of the two neurotransmitters responsible for transmitting nerve impulses from the brain to the muscles. One group of anti-Parkinson drugs works by stimulating production of dopamine in the brain, sup¬ plying the substance from which it…

A general term referring to several categories of drugs, including antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals, and antivirals. The most important characteristic of an antimicrobial agent is that it acts to inhibit or kill a target pathogen, or disease-causing entity, but has no toxic effect on the host. Antimicrobials affect the biochemical processes of microbes, but not those…

Drugs used to treat infections caused by fungi. Fungi are single-cell life forms that survive by invading and living off other living things. They thrive in moist, dark places, including some parts of the human body. Fungal infections on the skin can usually be treated with creams, ointments, or powders. But infections occurring inside the…

Drugs that block the action of acetylcholine (a chemical messenger in the nervous system) in the body. Anticholinergics are used to treat Parkinson disease, muscle rigidity, and muscle spasms caused by psychoactive medications. Anticholinergics work by blocking acetylcholine receptors in the brain and other tissues, reducing the effects of acetylcholine and restoring balance with dopamine.…

Treatments claimed to improve and maintain optimal health for people as they age. Antiaging therapy involves stimulation and addition of substances thought to help the body repair and regenerate itself as it ages. The elusive goal of antiaging therapy has been to help the body perform as well in old age as it did in…

Any vaginal bleeding after the 20th week of pregnancy. Antepartum hemorrhage may have several causes, including damage to the cervix, separation of the placenta from the uterine wall, or placenta previa, in which the placenta lies over the cervix. Most antepartum bleeding is mild and harmless. However, hemorrhage caused by placental separation, placental bleeding, and…

An allergic reaction of unknown origin that causes a skin rash and other potentially serious symptoms.