Back to Basics: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Vaginal thrush (Candidiasis)
Older people and HIV: A call to action
Thanks to effective treatment, people with HIV are living longer than ever. Older people are now the fastest growing group with HIV in the UK, and as many as one in five adults accessing care is now aged over 50 years. But treatment does not mean cure, and a targeted approach to support is needed, as well as action to halt the growing numbers of older women and men affected by HIV.
Long live the difference? Why women lose out in heart health
In the UK, the last 30 years have seen a significant decline in deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) in men, but the fall has been less significant in women. This may be because women need a different, more gender-specific approach if they are to benefit fully from recent advances in treatment.
Hearts and hormones: what’s the impact of hormonal contraception and HRT on cardiovascular risk?
The impact of female hormones on cardiovascular risk is a hot issue. Many nurses working in the NHS, including in general practice, are aged 50 or older. This means that there is a strong possibility that some of us may be experiencing menopausal symptoms, along with our patients. In this article, we look at the use of hormonal therapies at the time of the menopause, with particular reference to cardiovascular risk. We will also touch on the use of oral contraception and associated cardiovascular factors.
Management of cardiovascular disease during pregnancy
Between 0.2 and 4% of all pregnancies in western industrialised countries are complicated by cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the number of patients who develop cardiac problems during pregnancy is increasing. Knowledge of the risks associated with CVD during pregnancy and their management is of pivotal importance for advising patients before pregnancy.
Improving the management of cardiovascular disease during pregnancy
It is exceedingly uncommon for a woman in the UK to die during pregnancy, with maternal mortality in the region of one death per 10,000 maternities1. Although there have been very significant improvements in antenatal care, such as a marked reduction in the number of deaths due to thromboembolic disease, other areas are trailing behind. One such area is cardiac disease – now the leading cause of maternal death in the UK. These relatively rare deaths also mask the much larger issues of maternal, fetal and perinatal morbidity. The most recent Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Death and the new European Society of Cardiology guidelines summarised in this issue of the PCCJ highlight the major clinical issues and attempt to provide consensus opinion regarding optimal care in what is a relatively evidence-sparse field.
The urine tells a tale
Endometrial ablation
Is general practice the optimal setting for the recognition of statin-induced myotoxicity?
Previous research has shown that routine monitoring appears to add little to the prognostication of incipient statininduced myotoxicity (SIM) in the primary care setting. In view of this, and the fact that there are now millions of patients on statins, it seems of practical value to delve deeper into the symptomatology of SIM. : To estimate the prevalence of SIM in statin users as compared to non-users, and whether family practice is the ideal setting to identify SIM.
Treating your heavy periods: the intrauterine system (IUS)
Looking through the window of cardiovascular opportunity at the menopause
Most women think they are at greatest risk of dying from cancer, especially breast cancer, but in fact, women are nine times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than from breast cancer. The menopause has particular significance in CVD risk. In this article we look at what happens to cardiovascular risk at the menopause and opportunities for CVD prevention.
