Time
Time (Medicine)
Time (pronounced: /taɪm/) is a crucial concept in the field of medicine. It is often used in relation to the progression of disease, the timing of symptom onset, and the scheduling of treatment and medication.
Etymology
The word "time" originates from the Old English term "tīma", which means a limited span.
In Medicine
In medicine, time often refers to the duration between the onset of symptoms and the initiation of treatment. This is commonly referred to as the "window of opportunity". For example, in stroke management, the phrase "time is brain" is often used to emphasize the importance of rapid treatment.
Time is also used to describe the schedule at which medications are administered. For example, a medication may be prescribed to be taken "three times a day" or "every 12 hours". This is important to ensure the effectiveness of the medication and to prevent overdose or underdose.
In the context of disease progression, time can refer to the duration of the disease, the time from disease onset to diagnosis, or the time from diagnosis to treatment. These time frames can have significant implications for the prognosis of the disease.
Related Terms
- Chronotherapy: The practice of timing medical treatment to coincide with the body's natural rhythms.
- Circadian rhythm: The body's internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, repeating roughly every 24 hours.
- Half-life: The time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value. In medicine, this often refers to the time it takes for the concentration of a drug in the body to decrease by half.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Time
- Wikipedia's article - Time
This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski