Iatrogenics is a disease with effects and complications caused as a result of medical treatment. The term derives from the Greek and means of medical origin, and can be applied either to good or bad effects.
In pharmacology, iatrogenic refers to diseases or pathological changes created by medication side effects. Usually the word is used to refer to the consequences of harmful actions by doctors, but also it may be the result of the actions of other professionals, such as psychologists, therapists, nurses, dentists, etc. Furthermore, alternative medicines can also be a source of iatrogenics.
A very common cause of iatrogenic effects, which leads to death, is drug interaction, which is when one or more drugs alter the effects of others being taken by the patient, which can increase or decrease the action of the same. Side effects, as well as allergic drug reactions, are also a form of iatrogenics.
Over time, some bacteria become resistant to certain drugs, and this resistance is also iatrogenic.