Medical Dictionary

resistance

noun re·sis·tance \ri-ˈzis-tən(t)s\

Medical Definition of RESISTANCE

1
a :  power or capacity to resist; especially :  the inherent ability of an organism to resist harmful influences (as disease, toxic agents, or infection) b :  the capacity of a species or strain of microorganism to survive exposure to a toxic agent (as a drug) formerly effective against it due to genetic mutation and selection for and accumulation of genes conferring protection from the agent especially as a result of overuse of the agent which selectively destroys individual microorganisms lacking the protective genes
2
a :  the opposition offered by a body to the passage through it of a steady electric current b :  opposition or impediment to the flow of a fluid (as blood or respiratory gases) through one or more passages—see vascular resistance
3
:  a psychological defense mechanism wherein a psychoanalysis patient rejects, denies, or otherwise opposes therapeutic efforts by the analyst
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