Sleep Med Psychophysiol.  2004 Dec;11(2):67-72.

Chronopharmacology in Clinical Medicine

• Lee HJ
• Kim L

Abstract

Circadian rhythm is a global phenomenon, the control mechanisms of which are manifested at every level of biological organization, from genes and intracellular mechanisms to networks of cell populations, and to all central neuronal systems at the organismic level. In pharmacotherapy, the pharmacokinetic parameters such as drug absorption and distribution, drug metabolism, and renal elimination show diurnal variations. The symptoms and signs in diseases like asthma, myocardiac infarction, angina pectoris, hypertension and stroke also show diurnal fluctuations. These observations require drug treatment considering the circadian rhythm of body function and disease. Circadian time has to be taken into account as an important variable influencing a drug's pharmacokinetics and/or its effects or side effects in clinical practice.

Keyword

Chronopharmacology; Circadian rhythm; Pharmacotherapy

MeSH Terms

Absorption
Angina Pectoris
Asthma
Circadian Rhythm
Clinical Medicine*
Drug Therapy
Hypertension
Infarction
Metabolism
Neurons
Pharmacokinetics
Stroke