Читать книгу Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics - Группа авторов - Страница 15

Pharmacological agents are used in therapeutics to:

1 Alleviate symptoms, for example:Paracetamol for painGTN spray for angina

2 Improve prognosis – this can be measured in a number of different ways – usually measured as a reduction in morbidity or mortality, for example:Prevent or delay end‐stage consequences of disease, e.g. anti‐hypertensive medication and statins in cardiovascular disease, levodopa in Parkinson's diseaseReplace deficiencies, e.g. levothyroxine in hypothyroidCure disease, e.g. antibiotics, chemotherapy

Some drugs will both alleviate symptoms and improve prognosis, e.g. beta‐blockers in ischaemic heart disease. If a prescribed drug is doing neither, one must question the need for its use and stop it. Even if there is a clear indication for use, the potential for side effects and interactions with any other drugs the patient is on also needs to be taken into account.