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| - See also: Side effects (treatment) A side effect or adverse
effect of a treatment is an abnormal, harmful, undesired and/or
unintended effect, although not necessarily unexpected, which is
obtained as a result of a therapy or other medical intervention,
such as drug/chemotherapy, physical therapy, surgery, medical
procedure, use of a medical device, etc. Iatrogenesis
(literally, generated by a physician) is a common cause of
adverse effects, as well as medical error. Using a drug or other
medical intervention which is contraindicated may increase the
risk of side effects. Adverse effects may cause medical
complications of a disease or procedure and negatively affect
its prognosis. The harmful outcome is usually indicated by some
result such as morbidity, mortality, alteration in body weight,
levels of enzymes, loss of function or as a pathological change
detected at the microscopic,