Cathartic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Part of a series on |
| Toxicology and poison |
|---|
| Toxicology (Forensic) · Toxinology · History of poison |
| Concepts |
| Poison · Venom · Toxicant (Toxin) · Acceptable daily intake · Acute toxicity · Bioaccumulation · Biomagnification · Fixed Dose Procedure · LD50 · Lethal dose · Toxic capacity · Toxicity Class |
| Treatments |
| Antidote · Gastric lavage · Whole bowel irrigation · Activated carbon · Cathartic · Hemodialysis · Chelation therapy · Hemoperfusion |
| Incidents |
| Bradford · Minamata · Niigata Alexander Litvinenko · Bhopal · 2007 pet food recalls · Seveso disaster · List of poisonings |
| Related topics |
| Hazard
symbol · Carcinogen Mutagen · List of Extremely Hazardous Substances · Biological warfare · Food safety |
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance which accelerates defecation. This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which eases defecation, usually by softening the stool.[1] It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathartic. However, agents such as psyllium seed husks increase the bulk of the stool.[2]
Cathartics such as sorbitol, magnesium citrate, magnesium sulfate, or sodium sulfate were previously used as a form of gastrointestinal decontamination following poisoning via ingestion. They are no longer generally recommended for poisonings.[3]
Cathartics were used in the Fort Lewis, WA area in the influenza epidemic of 1918. An original report by Elizabeth J. Davies, a public heath nurse, mentions cathartics, pneumonia jackets and copious amount of drinks as treatments for influenza patients.[citation needed]
References
- ^ MeSH Cathartics
- ^ The MSDS HyperGlossary: Catharsis
- ^ "Position paper: cathartics". Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology 42 (3): 243–53. 2004. PMID 15362590.
External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| File:Esculaap.svg | This medical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
