Prophylactic treatment
Prophylactic Treatment
Prophylactic treatment (pronunciation: pro-fuh-lak-tik treatment) is a preventive measure taken to ward off diseases or health conditions. The term is derived from the Greek word "prophylaktikos", meaning "guarding or preventing beforehand".
Definition
A prophylactic treatment is a type of preventive medicine that is used to prevent the onset of diseases or health conditions rather than treating them after they have developed. This can include measures such as vaccination, the use of antibiotics to prevent infections, or the use of medication to reduce the risk of disease in individuals with a high risk.
Types of Prophylactic Treatment
There are several types of prophylactic treatments, including:
- Primary Prophylaxis: This involves measures taken to prevent the onset of a particular disease. This can include immunization against diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella.
- Secondary Prophylaxis: This involves measures taken to prevent the recurrence of a disease. An example of this is the use of antiretroviral therapy in individuals with HIV to prevent the progression to AIDS.
- Tertiary Prophylaxis: This involves measures taken to reduce the impact of an ongoing illness or injury that has lasting effects. This can include measures such as rehabilitation and pain management.
Examples
Examples of prophylactic treatments include the use of antimalarial drugs to prevent malaria in individuals traveling to areas where the disease is prevalent, and the use of condoms to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.
See Also
- Preventive Medicine
- Vaccination
- Antibiotics
- Medication
- Immunization
- Antiretroviral Therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Pain Management
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Prophylactic treatment
- Wikipedia's article - Prophylactic treatment
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