A disease-modifying treatment, disease-modifying drug, or disease-modifying therapy is a treatment that delays or slows the progression of a disease by targeting its
underlying cause. They are distinguished from
symptomatic treatment
Symptomatic treatment, supportive care, supportive therapy, or palliative treatment is any medical therapy of a disease that only affects its symptoms, not the underlying cause. It is usually aimed at reducing the signs and symptoms for the comfo ...
s that treat the symptoms of a disease but do not address its underlying cause.
Examples
*
Disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug
*
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) comprise a category of otherwise unrelated disease-modifying drugs defined by their use in rheumatoid arthritis to slow down disease progression. The term is often used in contrast to nonsteroidal ...
References
{{Reflist
Medical treatments
Medical terminology