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Glite Dictionary
alpha-adrenergic blocking agent

alpha-adrenergic blocking agent

7.5
A medicine that relaxes blood vessel and bladder muscles to lower blood pressure and help pass urine
  • noun
  • /ˈælfə ˌædrəˈnɜrdʒɪk ˈblɑkɪŋ ˈeɪdʒənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : agente bloqueador alfa-adrenérgico
  • After being prescribed an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent, his symptoms of an enlarged prostate improved considerably.

Examples

  • Doctors may recommend an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent to help patients with high blood pressure or urinary difficulties.

  • The pharmacist explained the potential side effects of taking an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent alongside other medications.

  • An alpha-adrenergic blocking agent can help alleviate symptoms of BPH.

  • Many doctors prescribe alpha-adrenergic blocking agents for urinary retention.

  • An alpha-adrenergic blocking agent is often used to treat the urinary problems associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

  • Patients with high blood pressure may benefit from an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent to help manage their condition.

  • The doctor advised using an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent to relax the muscles in the bladder and prostate.

Synonyms

alpha-blocker
vsalpha-adrenergic blocking agent
  • Specialized
5.5

A drug that relaxes certain muscles to lower blood pressure and ease symptoms of an enlarged prostate

focuses on prostate and bladder relaxation rather than blood pressure treatment
alpha-adrenergic blocker
vsalpha-adrenergic blocking agent
  • Specialized
4.7

A drug that relaxes certain muscles to lower blood pressure and help urine flow in men with an enlarged prostate

is more specific about prostate and bladder relaxation than general muscle relaxation
alpha blocker
vsalpha-adrenergic blocking agent
  • Specialized
5.2

A medicine that relaxes muscles in blood vessels and the prostate to lower blood pressure and help pass urine

emphasizes prostate and bladder muscle effects rather than vascular actions

Surface Forms

alpha-adrenergic blocking agent singular
alpha-adrenergic blocking agents plural

Morphology

alpha-adrenergic + block + agent

The compound is partly compositional: 'blocking agent' clearly denotes a substance that blocks something, so a learner who knows 'block' and 'agent' can infer it is a drug that inhibits a target. However 'alpha-adrenergic' is specialist biomedical terminology (relating to alpha adrenergic receptors/adrenaline) that a B1 learner would not know, so the specific target and clinical implications are not predictable from basic vocabulary.

Etymology

The drug alpha-adrenergic blocking agent can be pictured as a small guard for the body's 'alpha' locks that respond to adrenaline: alpha and adrenergic mean those locks, and a blocking agent stops the key (adrenaline) from turning them. So the muscles around the prostate and bladder 'relax' and blood pressure can go down, which is why doctors use these drugs.