What it means
Describes something that spreads through the body or acts on it as a whole. A systemic infection has reached the blood; a systemic drug travels through the bloodstream rather than acting only where it is put (topical); systemic lupus erythematosus affects many organs. In the systemic circulation, the left side of the heart pumps blood out to the body.
At a glance
| Spanish | sistémico |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
topical
Applied to a surface of the body, such as the skin, eyes or mucous membranes.
Related terms
sepsis
A severe whole-body response to an infection that damages the body's own organs.
lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus: a long-term autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.
bloodstream
The blood flowing through the body's blood vessels.
topical
Applied to a surface of the body, such as the skin, eyes or mucous membranes.