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Herd Tachyphylaxis
Joseph Herman, MD
Arch Fam Med. 1993;2(6):599.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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I ONCE heard a veteran physician say, "Whenever a new drug appears on the market, I hasten to use it before it loses its effect." Most of us would recognize some truth in the remark, however humorously intended, and it raises the question of herd tachyphylaxis, the apparent waning in efficacy of treatment modalities over time.1 With it an entire population experiences the phenomenon rather than an individual in whom tachyphylaxis is defined as the "rapid appearance of progressive decrease in response following repetitive administration of a pharmacologically or physiologically active substance."2
An article on dilated cardiomyopathy suggests two explanations for herd tachyphylaxis.3 The authors found that the prognosis of the disorder in the community was far better than that reported in earlier studies conducted from the vantage point of a referral center. In addition, such parameters as heart size and functional class were less severely affected
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
Beer-Sheva, Israel
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