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Acetaminophen: A medication effective for
relieving mild pain and fever. It is also used as a
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
Accolate: Medicine prescribed for
prophylaxis and treatment of chronic asthma in
patients 12 years and older. Has shown to cause
liver dysfunction, particularly in females.
Accutane: A brand of prescription medicine
used to treat severe nodular acne that has not
responded to other treatments such as antibiotics.
Accutane may cause serious side effects, including
birth defects and mental disorders.
Addiction: A physiological and
psychological compulsion for a habit-forming
substance. In extreme cases, an addiction may become
an overwhelming obsession.
Adjudicate: To decide a legal case.
Affidavit: A voluntary statement or
declaration of facts that has been written down and
confirmed under oath.
Agonist Opioid: A powerful type of
narcotic that works by blocking signals to pain
receptors in the brain. This process also raises the
level of dopamine in the brain, creating a feeling
of euphoria.
Allegation: A statement made in a pleading
by one of the parties to the action and tells what
that party intends to prove.
Analgesic: Generic term for medications
that relieve pain. Some analgesics like aspirin have
a low pain-relieving threshold, whereas others like
Oxycodone have a much higher ceiling.
Anesthesia Injury: An injury sustained
from incorrectly administered anesthetics.
Answer: Written response in which the
defendant admits or denies the allegations contained
in the complaint.
Antidepressants: A type of drug used to
control or reduce depression. Some antidepressants
have been found to have serious side effects.
Apgar Score: When a child is born, a
physician will take note of his or her activity -
muscle tone, pulse, grimace, reflex irritability,
appearance, skin color, and respiration. These
observations are made once immediately following
birth and once five minutes later. A score of zero
to ten is then calculated. A low score alerts a
doctor that resuscitation may be necessary and a
high score reassures a doctor that the baby is
healthy.
Arava: An oral medicine prescribed to slow
the progress of rheumatoid arthritis. Aravaź may
cause liver dysfunction and birth defects.
Arbitration: A process for deciding a
legal dispute without having to go to court.
Assumption of risk: A defendant's
allegation that the injured plaintiff recognized the
danger of the plaintiff's course of action but,
nonetheless, willingly chose to risk such danger.
Asbestos: A fibrous silicate mineral that
was once commonly used in construction. People who
have been exposed to asbestos over a period of time
may develop asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung
cancer.
Asbestosis: A disease that afflicts people
who have been exposed asbestos fibers. Scar tissue
builds up in the lungs, causing breathing difficulty
and an increased risk of infection. Ataxia: Jerky,
uncoordinated movements.
Athetosis: Involuntary movements -
uncontrolled/unwanted movements.
