Dr Peter J Barry and Prof Charles G Gallagher discuss the diagnosis and treatment of asthma — a disease which is on the increase in Ireland. Asthma has been long recognised as a distinct clinical syndrome. Early papyrus manuscripts located in Egypt have found descriptions and prescriptions for the condition. The word ‘asthma’ itself is [...]
Androgen deprivation therapy is not associated with improved survival for elderly men with localised prostate cancer, compared to conservative management of the disease, according to a new study. Doctors assessed the association between primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT) and disease-specific survival and overall survival in 19,271 men with T1-T2 (localised) prostate cancer. The patients, aged [...]
An increasing number of 70-year-olds are having good sex and more often, and women in this age group are particularly satisfied with their sex lives, according to a new study. In the study, researchers in Sweden examined attitudes to sex in later life among four representative population samples of 70-year-olds, who they interviewed in 1971-’72, [...]
Selective serotonin reup-take inhibitors (SSRIs) appear to be associated with bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, according to a report from a new Spanish study. The effects appear increased when antidepressants are combined with other stomach-harming medications and decreased when acid-suppressing agents are used, the study also found. In the study, doctors examined records [...]
Pregnancy alone does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of the most prevalent mental disorders, according to a new report. However, post-partum women may have a higher risk of major depressive disorder, the study also found. In the study, doctors analysed data from interviews of 43,093 individuals who participated in a survey [...]
Dr Michael Corry believes that electro-convulsive therapy should now be abolished from modern psychiatric practice. Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is the deliberate administration of electric shocks to the brain. As described by the UK Department of Health in 2007: “Electro-convulsive therapy is carried out under general anaesthetic, and a strong muscle relaxant is administered to patients [...]
Violence between partners, friends and acquaintances appears prevalent both during and before college, according to results of a new American survey. Researchers interviewed 910 students aged 17 to 22 years in 67 randomly chosen college classes. The students answered demographic questions about sex, age, race and length of time in school and reported whether and [...]
Heavy birthweight female babies are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood as their average birthweight peers, a new study has found. The results support the foetal origin of disease theory, which argues that certain conditions and diseases in adult life are programmed by factors during the pregnancy. Diabetes, coronary heart disease and [...]
Derbhile Dromey writes that research being carried out in Trinity College may lead to a better understanding of retinitis pigmentosa. Some 65,000 people in Ireland are affected by conditions which result in deterioration of the retina. One of the most common sources of retinal disease is retinitis pigmentosa (RP), yet there is no real method [...]
Dr John Cox reports on a number of clinical trials which have investigated the pros and cons of treatment with ARBs compared to or combined with ACE inhibitors. General practitioners are by now very familiar with the drugs used in the management of high blood pressure, lipid and glucose levels. However, consideration should also be [...]
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