Drug-Disease Interactions
Drug-disease interactions refer to the worsening of a disease by a drug.
Most drugs exert most of their effects on a specific organ or system; however, because most drugs circulate throughout the body, they may also affect other organs and systems. A drug taken for a lung disease may affect the heart, and a drug taken to treat a cold may affect the eyes. Because drugs can affect diseases other than the one being treated, people should tell their doctor all of the diseases they have before the doctor prescribes a new drug. Diabetes, high or low blood pressure, glaucoma, an enlarged prostate, poor bladder control, and insomnia are particularly important, because people with such diseases are more likely to have a drug-disease interaction.
Drug-disease interactions can occur in any age group but are common among older people, who tend to have more diseases (see Section 2, Chapter 14).
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