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Complication (medicine)
 
 
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Complication, in medicine
Medicine

Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, is an unfavorable evolution of a disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
, a health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 condition or a medical treatment. The disease can become worse in its severity or show a higher number of signs, symptoms or new pathological
Pathology

Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
 changes, become widespread throughout the body or affect other organ systems. A medical treatment, such as drugs
Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
 or surgery
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 may produce adverse effects
Adverse effect (medicine)

In medicine, an adverse effect is a harmful and undesired effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as chemotherapy or surgery....
 and/or produce new health problem(s) by itself. A new disease may also appear as a complication to a previous existing disease.






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Complication, in medicine
Medicine

Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, is an unfavorable evolution of a disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
, a health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 condition or a medical treatment. The disease can become worse in its severity or show a higher number of signs, symptoms or new pathological
Pathology

Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
 changes, become widespread throughout the body or affect other organ systems. A medical treatment, such as drugs
Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine or medicament, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease....
 or surgery
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 may produce adverse effects
Adverse effect (medicine)

In medicine, an adverse effect is a harmful and undesired effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as chemotherapy or surgery....
 and/or produce new health problem(s) by itself. A new disease may also appear as a complication to a previous existing disease. Therefore, a complication may be iatrogenic, i.e., literally brought forth by the physician.

Medical knowledge about a disease, procedure or treatment usually entails a list of the most common complications, so that they can be foreseen, prevented or recognized more easily and speedily.

Depending on the degree of vulnerability, susceptibility, age
Senescence

Senescence encompasses all of the biological processes of a living organism's approaching an advanced age . The word senescence is derived from the Latin word senex, meaning "old man" or "old age" or "advanced in age"....
, health status, immune system
Immune system

An immune system is a collection of biological processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumour cells....
 condition, etc. complications may arise more easily. Complications affect adversely the prognosis
Prognosis

Prognosis is a medicine term denoting the Physician's prediction of how a patient will progress, and whether there is a chance of recovery. This word is often used in medical reports dictating a physician's view on a case....
 of a disease. Non-invasive
Non-invasive (medical)

The term non-invasive in medicine has two meanings:* A medical procedure is strictly defined as non-invasive when no break in the skin is created and there is no contact with the mucosa, or skin break, or internal body cavity beyond a natural or artificial body orifice....
 and minimally invasive medical procedures usually favor fewer complications in comparison to invasive
Invasive (medical)

The term invasive in Medicine has two meanings:* A medical procedure which penetrates or breaks the skin or a body cavity, i.e., it requires a perforation, an incision, a catheterization, etc....
 ones.

Examples of complications

  • Generalized septicemia (infection of the blood) may occur as a complication of an infected wound
    Wound

    In medicine, a wound is a type of injury in which the skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force physical trauma causes a bruise . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin....
     or abscess
    Abscess

    An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infection process or other foreign materials ....
  • Allergic shock can be a reaction to several kinds of anesthetic
    Anesthesia

    Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , has traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away. This allows patients to undergo surgery and other procedures without the distress and pain they would otherwise experience....
    s, as a complication in a surgery
  • Fractured ribs and sternum
    Sternum

    The sternum is a long flat bone located in the center of the chest . It connects to the rib via cartilage, forming the rib cage with them, and thus helps to protect the lungs, heart and major blood vessels from physical trauma....
     may be a complication of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
    Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

    Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest. CPR is performed in hospitals, or in the community by layman or by emergency response professionals....
     attempts in people suffering severe osteoporosis
    Osteoporosis

    Osteoporosis is a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of bone fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of collagen proteins in bone is altered....
  • Puerperal fever
    Puerperal fever

    Puerperal fever , also called childbed fever, can develop into puerperal sepsis, which is a serious form of septicaemia contracted by a woman during or shortly after childbirth, miscarriage or abortion....
     may be a common complication of childbirth
    Childbirth

    Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the delivery of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus. The process of normal human childbirth is categorized in three stages of labour: the shortening and dilation of the cervix, descent and delivery of the infant, and delivery of the placenta.....
     and used to kill a large proportion of mothers before the advent of antisepsis and antibiotic
    Antibiotic

    In common usage, an antibiotic is a substance or compound that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics belong to the group of antimicrobial compounds used to treat infections caused by microorganisms, including fungus and protozoa....
    s
  • Diabetes mellitus
    Diabetes mellitus

    Diabetes mellitus , often referred to simply as diabetes , is a syndrome of disordered metabolism, usually due to a combination of genetic disorder and environmental causes, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels ....
     may present a series of complications in an advanced or more severe stage, such as gangrene
    Gangrene

    For the American football team nicknamed "Gang Green," see New York Jets.Gangrene is a complication of necrosis characterized by the decay of biological tissues, which become black and malodorous....
    , diabetic foot
    Diabetic foot

    Diabetic foot is an umbrella term for foot problems in patients with diabetes mellitus. Due to artery abnormalities and diabetic neuropathy, as well as a tendency to delayed wound healing, infection or gangrene of the foot is relatively common....
    , blindness
    Blindness

    Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define "blindness." Total blindness is the complete lack of form and visual light perception and is clinically recorded as "NLP," an abbreviation for "no ligh...
    , infection
    Infection

    An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
    s, etc.
  • Thrombosis
    Thrombosis

    Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot, because the first step in repairing it is to prevent loss of blood....
     in the heart
    Heart

    The heart is a muscle organ in all vertebrates responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods....
     or brain
    Brain

    The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as cnidarian and echinoderm have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all....
    , causing stroke
    Stroke

    A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
     or acute myocardial infarction can be complications of blood coagulation disorders, phlebitis
    Phlebitis

    Phlebitis Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs.When phlebitis is associated with the formation of blood clots , usually in the deep veins of the legs, the condition is called thrombophlebitis....
     (inflammation of the veins), endocarditis
    Endocarditis

    Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves . Other structures which may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendinae, the mural endocardium, or even on intracardiac devices....
     and artificial heart valve
    Artificial heart valve

    An artificial heart valve is a device which is implanted in the heart of patients who suffer from valvular diseases in their heart. When one or two of the four heart valves of the heart have a malfunction, the choice is normally to replace the natural valve with an artificial valve....
    s
  • Eczema vaccinatum
    Eczema vaccinatum

    Eczema vaccinatum is a rare severe adverse effect to smallpox vaccination.It is characterized by serious local or disseminated, umbilicated, vesicular, crusting skin rashes in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, upper limbs and hands, caused by widespread infection of the skin in people with previous diagnosed skin conditions such as eczema o...
     is a rare and severe complication of smallpox
    Smallpox

    Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning spotted, or varus, meaning "pimple"....
     vaccination
    Vaccination

    Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to produce immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by a pathogen....
     in people with eczema
    Eczema

    Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis. The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions....
  • Hepatotoxic dementia is a possible complication of hepatitis
    Hepatitis

    Hepatitis implies injury to the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cell s in the Tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation" ....
     and liver cirrhosis
    Cirrhosis

    Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver Tissue by fibrous scar tissue as well as regenerative Nodule , leading to progressive loss of liver function....
  • Mental retardation
    Mental retardation

    Mental retardation is a generalized, triarchic disorder, characterized by subaverage cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors with onset before the age of 18....
     is a common complication of untreated hydrocephalus
    Hydrocephalus

    Hydrocephalus is a term derived from the Greek words "hydro" meaning water, and "cephalus" meaning head, and this condition is sometimes known as "water on the brain"....
  • A paradoxical reaction
    Paradoxical reaction

    A paradoxical reaction is when medical treatment, usually a drug, has an opposite effect to an effect normally expected.An example of a paradoxical reaction is when a pain relief medication causes an increase in pain....
     to a drug that is the totally the opposite effect of the intended purpose of the drug. As in "benzodiazepines" (pronounced [?benz??da?'ęz?pi?nz], or "benzos" for short) a class of psychoactive drugs considered a minor tranquilizers with varying hypnotic, sedative, anxiolytic
    Anxiolytic

    An anxiolytic is a Medication prescribed for the treatment of symptoms of anxiety. Some anxiolytics have been shown to be useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders as have antidepressants such as the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ....
    , anticonvulsant
    Anticonvulsant

    The anticonvulsants are a diverse group of pharmacology used in the treatment of epilepsy seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used the treatment of bipolar disorder, since many seem to act as mood stabilizers....
    , and muscle relaxant drug that may create exactly the opposite effect (paradoxical reaction) on susceptible individuals.
  • Erectile dysfunction
    Erectile dysfunction

    Erectile dysfunction is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance....
     and urinary incontinence
    Urinary incontinence

    Urinary incontinence is any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life....
     are prevalent to prostatectomy
    Prostatectomy

    A prostatectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland. Abnormalities of the prostate, such as a tumour, or if the gland itself becomes enlarged for any reason, can restrict the normal flow of urine along the urethra....
    .


Related topic

  • Adverse effect (medicine)
    Adverse effect (medicine)

    In medicine, an adverse effect is a harmful and undesired effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as chemotherapy or surgery....
  • Diagnosis
    Diagnosis

    Diagnosis is the identification of the nature of anything, either by process of elimination or other analytical methods. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with slightly different implementations on the application of logic and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships....
  • Iatrogenesis
    Iatrogenesis

    The terms iatrogenesis and iatrogenic artifact refer to adverse effect s or complication s caused by or resulting from medicine treatment or advice....
  • Nocebo
    Nocebo

    In its original application, "nocebo" had a very specific meaning in the medical domains of pharmacology, and nosology, and etiology.It was a subject-oriented adjective that was used to label the harmful, unpleasant, or undesirable reactions that a subject manifested as a result of administering an inert placebo, where these responses had...
  • Placebo (origins of technical term)
  • Prognosis
    Prognosis

    Prognosis is a medicine term denoting the Physician's prediction of how a patient will progress, and whether there is a chance of recovery. This word is often used in medical reports dictating a physician's view on a case....
  • Sequela
    Sequela

    A sequela, is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, or other Psychological trauma.Chronic kidney disease, for example, is sometimes a sequela of a food-borne illness, and Temporomandibular joint disorder is a common sequela of whiplash or other trauma to the cervical vertebrae....
  • Late effect
    Late effect

    In medicine, a late effect is a condition that appears after the acute phase of an earlier, causal condition has run its course. A late effect can be caused directly by the earlier condition, or indirectly by the treatment for the earlier condition....