Which term describes an unusual effect on a specific patient?

Which term describes an unusual effect on a specific patient?

• A. Hypersensitivity
• B. Idiosyncrasy
• C. Indication
• D. Antagonism

Answer: (B)

An idiosyncratic reaction is an unusual, unpredictable drug effect that occurs in a specific patient, often due to unique genetic or metabolic factors. It isn’t about the drug’s normal action or dose, and it explains a response that’s atypical for most people. Hypersensitivity is immune-mediated (an allergic-type reaction), indeterminately related to the immune system rather than just a quirky individual response, while indications and antagonism refer to why a drug is used and how drugs interact, not to patient-specific unusual effects. So the best fit for an unusual effect in one patient is idiosyncrasy.

An idiosyncratic reaction is an unusual, unpredictable drug effect that occurs in a specific patient, often due to unique genetic or metabolic factors. It isn’t about the drug’s normal action or dose, and it explains a response that’s atypical for most people. Hypersensitivity is immune-mediated (an allergic-type reaction), indeterminately related to the immune system rather than just a quirky individual response, while indications and antagonism refer to why a drug is used and how drugs interact, not to patient-specific unusual effects. So the best fit for an unusual effect in one patient is idiosyncrasy.