Discursive Passage Worksheet: Deleterious Effects of Drugs

Read the following passage carefully:

1. "Cured yesterday of my disease, I died last night of my physician," says Matthew Prior, a celebrated pharmacologist, while talking about the deleterious effects of drugs in his book, "The Remedy Worse Than the Disease". There is no dearth of patients dying of misguided treatment.
2. disorder bound to disappear in a short duration.
3. In this era of drugs we must familiarise ourselves with the term "Iatrogenic disease (physician caused ailment)". When a physician administers medicines without a complete understanding of the patient's condition, drugs play havoc. A person may become the victim of a worse disease or even lose his life.
4. With Analgin, for instance, special precautions should be taken in case of pregnancy, bronchial asthma, renal and hepatitic dysfunctions and blood-related disorders. It has been banned in several countries, including the USA and Sweden, because of its unexpected and negative effects that lead one even to death through an anaphylactic shock. An anaphylactic shock is a process that leads to a severe fall in the blood pressure, bronchoconstriction, the swelling of blood and lymph vessels and sometimes death because of the loss of fluid in these vessels. Anaphylaxis usually occurs suddenly, in minutes after the administration of a drug. The well-known drug, penicillin, and many other drugs, may cause anaphylaxis.
5. The term "side-effects" is a part of an ailing layman's vocabulary but adverse drug reactions are known only to a more aware and literate patient.
6. Ciprofloxacin, when given for an ear-infection, may cause vertigo and amoxycillin, while fighting a throat infection, may hurt the stomach. Similarly, while chemotherapy given for cancer may lead to indigestion and hair fall, steroids administered continuously may lead to obesity and diabetes.
7. Drugs are meant to eliminate disease. In the quest for avoiding the misery of sickness, man has invented medicines that may themselves cause diseases. The illness caused by a drug may be short-term or long-term. Side effects are short-term and predictable. The unpredictable and bizarre reactions are termed as adverse reactions. A variety of drugs cure many ills but are also known to cause irregular heart beat and even sudden death.
8. A strong sense of responsibility on the physician's part and an attitude of extreme caution on the patient's part can substantially help in covering at least some of the risks of medicines, if not all. There are many factors that help a doctor in his choice and use of the drug. The medical history of a patient, age, sex, personality, environment and education contribute in deciding the course of treatment. The very old and the very young are likely to suffer as their bodies are less tolerant. Older children may sometimes be more tolerant than the adults. The elderly tend to respond better to standard drug dosage. But the lower body size, slow blood flow to vital organs, decreasing metabolic capacity and tendency to multiple physical problems contribute to adverse reactions.

A. Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option:

Q.1. Analgin and penicillin must be used carefully because______
(a) these may cause suffocation
(b) they may create bruises
(c) some patients complain of leg cramps
(d) these may cause anaphylaxis

Q.2. Man has invented drugs to eliminate______
(a) diseases
(b) side effects
(c) death
(d) casualties

Q.3. The word 'dysfunction' in para 4 means______
(a) disorder of brain
(b) indigestion
(c) bad temper
(d) not working properly

Q.4. An "Iatrogenic disease" is an ailment caused by______
(a) infection in the hospital ward
(b) overdose of anaesthetic
(c) the wrong administration of drugs by a physician
(d) self-medication and buying drugs over the counter

Q.5. An adverse drug reaction is an illness caused by______
(a) secondary effects of a drug
(b) a drug having unpredictable and strange effects on a patient
(c) a drug having predictable and unpleasant disorders
(d) the use of drugs taken after their date of expiry

Q.6. Elderly people are prone to adverse drug reactions because they have______
(a) larger body size
(b) multiple emotional problems
(c) slow blood flow to vital organs
(d) stagnant metabolic capacity

B. Answer the following questions in brief:

Q.7. Why are elderly people prone to adverse drug reaction?

Q.8. Why has man invented medicines?

Q.9. What is an adverse drug reaction?

Q.10. What are the factors that help a doctor in his choice and use of drugs?

Q.11. Find words from the passage which are similar in meaning.
(a) Not working properly (para 4)
(b) Considerably (para 8)