alpha blocker
- noun
- /ˈæl.fə ˈblɑː.kər/
- Specialized
:
bloqueador alfa
- Many patients find that alpha blockers effectively reduce urinary symptoms related to prostate enlargement.
Examples
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After starting treatment with alpha blockers, he noticed an improvement in his blood flow.
-
For acute urinary retention, NICE again suggests catheterisation (offering an alpha blocker beforehand).
Academic text (2012) -
Among the variety of drug therapies that have been used are vasodilators (e.g., carbogen, alpha blockers).
Academic text (2001) -
The doctor prescribed alpha blockers to help manage her high blood pressure.
Synonyms
A drug that relaxes certain muscles to lower blood pressure and help urine flow in men with an enlarged prostate
A medicine that relaxes blood vessel and bladder muscles to lower blood pressure and help pass urine
Surface Forms
Morphology
alpha + blocker
The compound transparently signals a 'blocker' of something labeled 'alpha' — a learner who knows 'blocker' and 'alpha' could infer it blocks an entity called alpha. However, the precise medical meaning (blocking alpha-adrenergic receptors and its clinical use for blood pressure/prostate issues) is specialised jargon that a B1 learner would not deduce from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Alpha blocker comes from the name of tiny cell parts called alpha receptors and the word blocker, which means 'to stop' them. So an alpha blocker is a medicine that 'stops' those signals, letting blood vessels and the prostate relax to lower blood pressure and help urine flow.
