An inhaled corticosteroid drug used in the treatment of bronchial asthma to prevent asthma attacks. It is administered using an inhaler. Side effects of budesonide, which include hoarseness, throat irritation and, rarely, fungal infections, can be reduced by rinsing the mouth after administration.
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Buerger’s disease A rare disorder, also called thromboangiitis obliterans, in which the arteries, nerves, and veins in the legs, and sometimes those in the arms, become severely inflamed. Blood supply to the toes and fingers becomes cut off, eventually causing gangrene. The disease is most common in men under the age of 45 who smoke heavily. bulimia An illness that is characterized by bouts of overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or excessive laxative use. Most sufferers are girls or women between the ages of 15 and 30. In some cases, the symptoms coexist with those of anorexia nervosa. Repeated vomiting can lead to dehydration and loss of potassium, causing weakness and cramps, and tooth damage due to the gastric acid in vomit. Treatment includes supervision and regulation of eating habits, and sometimes, antidepressant drugs and/or psychotherapy. bulk-forming agent A substance that makes stools less liquid by absorbing water: a type of antidiarrhoeal drug. bulla A large air- or fluid-filled bubble, usually in the lungs or skin. Lung bullae in young adults are usually congenital. In later life, lung bullae develop in patients with emphysema. Skin bullae are large, fluid-filled blisters with a variety of causes, including the bullous disease pemphigus.
n. a *corticosteroid drug used in a nasal spray to treat hay fever or as an inhalant for asthma (for which it may be combined with *formoterol). It is also administered by mouth or enema for the treatment of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Also known as croup. An acute infection of the respiratory tract in infants and young children, usually caused by parain?uenza virus. The onset is variable but the croupy cough and stridulous breathing usually occur a few days after the onset of a viral upper-respiratory-tract infection. A harsh barking cough is typical of the condition. The majority of affected children can be treated with HUMIDIFICATION and a single dose of inhaled corticosteroid (budesonide – see CORTICOSTEROIDS) or a single day’s treatment with oral prednisolone. Severe croup can cause serious breathing problems when the child should be referred for urgent specialist assessment, and hospitalisation is preferable in all cases. Rarely, some form of intervention is necessary and this will either be in the form of endotracheal intubation or of a tracheostomy.... laryngo-tracheo-bronchitis
(eformoterol) n. a *sympathomimetic drug (a ?2 agonist) used, with inhaled corticosteroids (see also budesonide), as a long-acting *bronchodilator to control chronic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Side-effects include tremor, palpitations, and headache.... formoterol
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