It is Friday afternoon and, checking your screen, you see your last free appointment has been given to a patient you have seen in the past for routine blood tests. This time when she enters the room you observe that her legs are covered with what looks like kitchen roll, and she is wearing supermarket carrier bags over her feet to protect her shoes. For many of us, this is a ‘heart sink’ patient – with heavy, wet and oedematous legs that are difficult to manage. To be able to manage this type of condition we first need to understand the possible causes of oedema, to identify patients who may be at risk for developing the problem, and to be aware when early intervention could be of benefit.
What is the evidence for statins in the secondary prevention of stroke?
The Stroke Association estimates that about 150,000 people suffer a stroke in the UK each year. Stroke is the third commonest cause of death in developed countries and the leading cause of disability. So can we reduce this burden? In this article, we look at the evidence for statins in the secondary prevention of stroke.
Back to Basics: Urine tests for renal function
Urine tests for renal function: What tests detect different levels of damage?
Venous thrombosis and thromboembolism
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), comprising deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a major public health problem affecting around 100 per 100,000 population per year and causing thousands of deaths annually. Large population-based studies have shown that factors associated with hospitalisation account for half of the attributable risk of VTE.
When to use aspirin in CVD prevention: acting on the latest evidence
Back to Basics: Pharmacokinetics of inhaled drugs – where inhaled drugs go
Back to Basics: Mechanisms of allergy
Back to Basics: Key steps in resuscitation
Back to Basics: Is it COPD or asthma?
To be able to effectively manage patients with
airflow obstruction in general practice it is
imperative that we can differentiate between
asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD). Although COPD and asthma share many
clinical features, they are different conditions with
different airway inflammation and parenchymal
patterns.
