noncardiac chest pain

recurrent chest pain that cannot be attributed to heart disease. It is commonly caused by problems with the esophagus, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease or esophageal spasm, or by musculoskeletal disorders, especially fibromyositis (muscle inflammation). Anxiety and panic attacks can also produce pain that resembles cardiac chest pain. See also pseudoangina.

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Psychology term of the day

January 11th 2025

dose–response relationship

a principle relating the potency of a drug to the efficacy of that drug in affecting a target symptom or organ system. Potency refers to the amount of a drug necessary to produce the desired effect; efficacy refers to the drug’s ability to act at a target receptor or organ to produce the desired effect. Dose–response curves may be graded, suggesting a continuous relationship between dose and effect, or quantal, wherein the desired effect is an either–or phenomenon, such as prevention of arrhythmias. There is considerable variability among individuals in response to a given dose of a particular drug.