A 74-year-old man who had been self-medicating with antacids for recurrent indigestion consulted his GP when symptoms persisted for three months. After assessment, his GP prescribed a proton pump inhibitor and arranged review in four weeks. Two months later the...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in developed countries. The prevalence of AMD is 1.4% at 70 years of age and 5.6% at 80 years of age and 20% at age of 90 years....

Local community pharmacists play a vital role in improving health outcomes for LGBTI people and people living with HIV. There has been greater recognition of the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Australians among an increasing...

Status epilepticus is a medical emergency. It is commonly defined as 30 minutes of continuous seizure activity, or repeated seizures without full recovery of consciousness between attacks. However, as epilepsy seizures generally only last several minutes, the general consensus...

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...

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...

A 61-year-old non-smoking woman was in apparently good physical health. She had no history of drug or alcohol addiction. Her psychiatric history was unremarkable. The patient had been taking tramadol 1700 mg/day for five years to control pain after...

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...

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone responsible for regulating the body’s circadian rhythm. Supplemental melatonin can help to reinforce the circadian rhythm, making it useful for treatment of insomnia and jet lag.