| |
antihistamine
(an″te-)
(an″ti-his´tә-mēn)
a drug that counteracts the effects of histamine, a normal body chemical that among its actions is believed to cause the symptoms of persons who are hypersensitive to various
allergens. While the term antihistamine can broadly include any agent that blocks any histamine receptor, in practice it is usually
used to denote those blocking the H1 type of receptors (H1 receptor antagonists), which are the ones involved in allergic reactions. Agents blocking the H2 type of receptors are usually called histamine H2 receptor antagonists, and include the agents used to inhibit gastric secretion in peptic ulcer. adj., antihistamin´ic., adj.

Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
Click here for important legal information about Dorland's Medical Dictionary.
|