Ovarian cysts are found in women and girls of all ages. They are usually asymptomatic, and most are benign and transient. Testing for tumour markers and risk of malignancy indices may help to predict the possibility of cancer, but imaging on ultrasound (US) remains the primary method of evaluating ovarian cysts.
Acute pelvic pain: when to raise the red flag
Most women experience occasional pelvic pain, but sometimes the symptom is so severe that it prompts them to seek medical help. Causes of acute pelvic pain in women are many, and can range in severity from a normal physiological event to a life-threatening illness. This article explains how to identify patients with the ‘red flag’ conditions that require urgent hospitalisation.
Prolapse
Postnatal depression: when is medication the answer?
It has been a busy end-of-year for the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum. We have been hard at work preparing for our Annual Conference. But Forum members have also been active in responding to the media on women’s health issues – further recognition of our increasingly important profile as advocates for women’s health.
Selecting the right patients for the new agents
Who should be treated with these new agents? When should patients be switched from warfarin or aspirin?
Dr Matthew Fay
GP and National Clinical Lead for Atrial Fibrillation, Westcliffe Medical Centre, Shipley
Dr Frances Akinwunmi
Consultant Pharmacist (Anticoagulation), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
All change in atrial fibrillation
The management of AF is one of the most rapidly evolving areas of primary care today. How will these changes alter management in the coming months?
Dr Frances Akinwunmi
Consultant Pharmacist (Anticoagulation), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Professor David Fitzmaurice
Professor of Primary Care, University of Birmingham
Dr Matthew Fay
GP and National Clinical Lead for Atrial Fibrillation, Westcliffe Medical Centre, Shipley
New anticoagulants
Are they all the same? What are the risks?
Dr Frances Akinwunmi
Consultant Pharmacist (Anticoagulation), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Professor David Fitzmaurice
Professor of Primary Care, University of Birmingham
Dr Matthew Fay
GP and National Clinical Lead for Atrial Fibrillation, Westcliffe Medical Centre, Shipley
Dr Patrick Kesteven
Consultant Haematologist, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
What to consider when commissioning anticoagulation service today
What are the issues which need to be considered? What are the priorities? Are there pitfalls?
Alison Tennant
Head of Service Improvement and Quality, Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group
Editorial
Spring has now well and truly sprung and the NHS is heading towards changes as the Health and Social Care Bill takes effect. But what won’t change is the need for primary care to do our very best to prevent, diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as major causes of illness and premature death. At BJPCN we aim to equip you with the latest practical guidance and our conference in November will also help to keep you up to date, please come if you can.
How to carry out an annual review for patients at high CVD risk
Putting Prevention First, the national strategy for cardiovascular risk assessment for people aged 40 to 74 years, remains high on the healthcare agenda regardless of NHS changes. The “Cog Man” on the cover of the guidance and leaflets distributed to practices and pharmacies highlights the close links between the heart, brain, kidneys and diabetes and underlines the comprehensive nature of vascular risk assessment. In this article, we look at how to carry out an annual review in high-risk people with a cardiovascular risk score of 20% or higher but who do not have high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or atrial fibrillation.
Caring for patients with anaemia of chronic disease
Many patients presenting in general practice will, at some time, complain of tiredness and lack of energy. Investigations to discover the cause are often conducted and will usually include blood tests such as a full blood count to see if anaemia is to blame. Patients may assume that all anaemia is iron deficiency anaemia but there are, of course, different types of anaemia. Interpreting investigations correctly and acting on them appropriately can ensure that the patient gets the right diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Physical activity: getting people moving to prevent CVD
If physical activity could be taken as a tablet, the dramatic benefits it achieves in reducing cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as many other conditions mean all of us would be on it. But many people currently miss out because it takes more effort to increase physical activity than popping open a tablet bottle. This article sets out the evidence for physical inactivity as a major cardiovascular risk factor and how to put the evidence into practice and get patients moving.
