This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Distinction between pharmacological and therapeutic effect

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Distinction between pharmacological effect and therapeutic effect of a drug can be described in two examples:

Hypertension is treated with antihypertensives which reduce the blood pressure, and in the long term reduce risk of in myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure and renal failure. There are variable links between the end diseases and cholesterol, sex, smoking etc. The pharmacological effect is the lowering of the blood pressure, the therapeutic effect is reduction in the risks.

Infective disease is treated with antibiotics, which may be bacteriocidal or bacteriostatic, to stop the infective process. There are variable links between the disease and host defences, which may be altered by immunocompetence, e.g. phagocytic competence. The pharmacological effect is the prevention of replication of the bacteria, the therapeutic effect is to cure the infection.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.