SO DYK
← All words

Effects & safety

Adverse effect

An unwanted harmful effect associated with a treatment.

A report of an effect is a reason to investigate. It does not, by itself, establish that the treatment caused it.

Read the source ↗ · Checked 2026-09-14. Plain-language explanation by SO·DYK; not a clinical review.

Suggest a correction →

Words, made clear

Read the source ↗

Explore the full glossary →