Epinephrine
Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is a hormone in the body. The Latin roots ad-+renes and the Greek roots epi-+nephros both mean into/onto the kidney, which is a reference to the adrenal glands. In medical jargon, epinephrine is shortened to just "epi" (pronounced eh-pee).
[change] Effects in the body
Epinephrine is very important in short-term stress reaction (see Fight or Flight reaction). Epinephrine increases heart rate, making the pupils bigger, making the blood vessels in the legs bigger, and weakens the immune system for a short time. Because of this, epinephrine is a common treatment for allergy such as Anaphylaxis. Bad reactions to epinephrine include heart palpitations, tachycardia, anxiety, headache, tremor, hypertension, and acute pulmonary edema.
[change] Effects in the lungs
When inhaled as a mist epinephrine causes the muscles that surround the parts of the lung that holds air to relax, which allows more air into the lungs. This is helpful in asthma or bronchiolitis.
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