Clinical

The prevalence of acute pancreatitis is between 5 and 30 per 100,000 population worldwide. It also represents the most common cause for gastrointestinal hospital admission in the United States.2 The main causes of acute pancreatitis are alcohol and gall...

First there is the intense throbbing and pulsating headache on the one side of your head, then the nausea sets in and you want to throw up. Your vision goes blurry, and you are very sensitive to lights and...

For many, the last 12 months of life is spent with significant disability, associated with rising symptom burden and functional decline. A palliative approach aims to ease difficult symptoms, encourage the best quality of life, and offer support for...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been ranked as serious a threat to society as terrorism. With millions of lives at risk, and trillions in GDP potentially lost, antibiotic misuse must be prevented to avoid widespread resistance. Today, no-one expects a scratch...

Key considerations and a recommended course of action when a pharmacist is asked to supply medication to a third party. Scenario: A 20-year-old man approaches a community pharmacist, requesting the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) for his 18-year-old girlfriend. The man tells the...

Dementia includes a range of neurological disorders characterised by memory loss and cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50–70% of cases.1 In 2015 approximately 342,800 Australians were living with dementia, with this...

Neuropathic pain is associated with disability, reduced quality of life and employment, and increased healthcare costs. The prevalence of neuropathic pain in the general population ranges from 7% to 10%.2 The causes of neuropathic pain vary according to the...

A 33-year-old woman was seen by an obstetrician. The patient did not know if she had previously had chickenpox. Her varicella-zoster antibody titre signified non-immunity. She had not been vaccinated. Three months later, she became pregnant. She was told...

More research has been urged after the creator of a breakthrough test for detecting Alzheimer’s disease said the test could be combined with daily doses of ibuprofen to eliminate the disease. In a recently published Journal of Alzheimer's Disease paper,...

Schizophrenia is a chronic illness characterised by a range of symptoms including positive and negative symptoms. Examples of positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre and inappropriate behaviour. Negative symptoms include affective flattening, lack of speech, lack of motivation...