CSA
Abbreviation with 6 meanings
| Stands for | Controlled Substances Act |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 6 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Medical, Geography & Places, Military, Transportation & Travel |
| Also written | CsA |
CSA has six meanings. The most common are Controlled Substances Act (US law) and Central sleep apnea (respiratory); it can also stand for Combined Statistical Area, Chief of Staff of the Army, Compliance, Safety, Accountability and Cyclosporine A.
Meanings of CSA at a glance
| # | CSA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Controlled Substances Act | Government & Politics › US Law |
| 2 | Central sleep apnea | Medical › Respiratory |
| 3 | Combined Statistical Area | Geography & Places › Region |
| 4 | Chief of Staff of the Army | Military › Military Unit and Organization |
| 5 | Compliance, Safety, Accountability | Transportation & Travel › Driving |
| 6 | Cyclosporine A | Medical › Drug |
1. Controlled Substances Act
Government & Politics · US Law Abbreviations
Federal drug law of 1970 that classifies drugs and certain chemicals into five schedules based on medical use and potential for abuse and dependence, and sets rules for their manufacture, distribution, prescribing and possession. The DEA enforces it.
Example: Fentanyl is a Schedule II drug under the CSA, while heroin is in Schedule I.
Enacted as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. Schedule I drugs, such as heroin and LSD, have no currently accepted medical use. Marijuana remains federally in Schedule I despite state legalization, and the Justice Department proposed moving it to Schedule III in 2024.
2. Central sleep apnea
Medical · Respiratory Abbreviations
Sleep-related breathing disorder in which breathing stops because the brain temporarily fails to signal the breathing muscles, rather than because the airway is blocked. It occurs with heart failure, stroke, opioid use, high altitude and sometimes when CPAP is started.
Example: PSG: AHI 34, predominantly central events with Cheyne-Stokes pattern in a patient with HFrEF: CSA.
Treatment targets the cause, such as optimizing heart failure or reducing opioids. The SERVE-HF trial (2015) found that adaptive servo-ventilation increased mortality in patients with HFrEF and central sleep apnea, so it is avoided in that group. Transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation is another option. Treatment-emergent central apnea may appear when CPAP is started for OSA.
3. Combined Statistical Area
Geography & Places · Region Abbreviations
US statistical region formed by joining adjacent metropolitan or micropolitan areas with significant commuting links, such as the Washington–Baltimore–Arlington CSA.
Example: The Los Angeles CSA includes the Inland Empire as well as Orange County.
The largest CSA is New York–Newark, with more than 21 million people. CSA also means Confederate States of America in historical writing and community-supported agriculture.
4. Chief of Staff of the Army
Military · Military Unit and Organization Abbreviations
Top uniformed leader of the US Army, a four-star general who leads the Army staff, advises the secretary of the Army and serves on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chief is responsible for Army readiness rather than commanding operations.
Example: The CSA announced a sweeping reorganization of Army headquarters and acquisition programs.
The position was created in 1903 under Secretary of War Elihu Root's reforms. In American history writing, CSA most often means the Confederate States of America, and in business it can mean community-supported agriculture, so context is essential.
5. Compliance, Safety, Accountability
Transportation & Travel · Driving Abbreviations
FMCSA program, launched in 2010, that scores trucking and bus companies on safety data from inspections, violations and crashes, sorted into categories such as unsafe driving and hours-of-service compliance. Poor scores trigger warnings, audits and investigations.
Example: Our CSA scores improved after we fixed the brake maintenance problems flagged at roadside inspections.
Scores are calculated in the Safety Measurement System across categories called BASICs. Shippers and insurers use the data when choosing carriers, and critics have argued that some scores poorly predict crash risk. In other contexts CSA means community-supported agriculture or the Canadian Space Agency.
6. Cyclosporine A (CsA)
Medical · Drug Abbreviations
Calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant used to prevent transplant rejection and to treat severe psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and dry eye (as eye drops). It revolutionized organ transplantation after FDA approval in 1983.
Example: CsA trough 180 ng/mL; creatinine up from 1.2 to 1.6, reduce dose.
Cyclosporine was isolated from the fungus Tolypocladium inflatum. Side effects include kidney toxicity, high blood pressure, gum overgrowth and excess hair growth. It has many interactions through CYP3A4, and grapefruit juice raises its levels. Different oral brands are not interchangeable without monitoring. In sleep medicine CSA means central sleep apnea.
Related abbreviations
More US law abbreviations
- CHIPS Act – CHIPS and Science Act
- COBRA – Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
- COPPA – Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
- CRA – Civil Rights Act of 1964
- CTA – Corporate Transparency Act
- CWA – Clean Water Act
- DADT – Don't ask, don't tell
- DMCA – Digital Millennium Copyright Act
See all 104 US law abbreviations →
More respiratory abbreviations
- COPD – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- CPAP – Continuous positive airway pressure
- CPET – Cardiopulmonary exercise test
- CPT – Chest physiotherapy
- CSR – Cheyne-Stokes respiration
- CTEPH – Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
- DIB – Difficulty in breathing
- DLCO – Diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.