Anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory (pronunciation: /ˌæntiɪnˈflæməˌtɔri/) refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system.
Etymology
The term "anti-inflammatory" is derived from the Latin words "anti" meaning 'against' and "inflammatio" meaning 'inflammation'.
Types of Anti-inflammatory Drugs
There are two types of anti-inflammatory drugs:
NSAIDs are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic, and, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory effects. Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are steroids, which are a type of anti-inflammatory medication used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions.
Related Terms
- Inflammation: A process by which the body's white blood cells and substances they produce protect us from infection with foreign organisms, such as bacteria and viruses.
- Analgesics: Also known as painkillers, are medications designed to relieve pain.
- Opioids: A class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others.
- NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a drug class that groups together drugs that reduce pain, decrease fever, and, in higher doses, decrease inflammation.
- Steroids: A type of anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat a wide variety of conditions.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Anti-inflammatory
- Wikipedia's article - Anti-inflammatory
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