Australian Family Physician April 2003 - Fits, Faints and Funny Turns
Vol 32 (4):194-289
Our April issue focuses on Fits, Faints and Funny Turns
including articles on diagnosis, mental disorder, seizure and loss of
consciousness.
Editorial: Fits, faints and funny turns
Steve Trumble
A chill wind blows through rural Victoria in winter and it was tending toward the sub-Arctic on the night I saw my first patient in the hospital's emergency department. 'FFFT' was scrawled across the front of the history card, which I presumed to be some sort of poetic reference to flatulence.
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Fits, faints and funny turns: A general diagnostic approach
John Murtagh
The patient presenting with a fit, faint or 'funny turn' can present a diagnostic dilemma for the general practitioner.
Dizziness and loss of consciousness: Cardiovascular causes
Jeremy J Wright, Leonard F Arnolda
Dizziness and loss of consciousness are common clinical problems presenting in general practice.
Fits, faints and funny turns: Could it be a mental disorder?
Hugh Morgan, Grant Blashki
Patients who present to primary care with symptoms of fainting and dizziness, for which there is no adequate physical explanation, are frequently suffering from an undiagnosed psychiatric disorder.
The new patient with a first seizure
Mark King
First seizures are common, with one in 20 people suffering a seizure at some time in their life.
Use of antidepressant medications in the general practice setting: A critical review
Kelsey Hegarty, David Ames, Jeremy Anderson, Caroline Johnson, Roslyn McKinnon, Rob Moulds
Antidepressants are commonly prescribed in general practice for depression, but also for a wide range of other psychiatric conditions and physical problems.
Therapeutic approach: How to get there
Sepehr Shakib, Alison George
After determining the therapeutic goals for an individual patient, the next step in good prescribing is planning a therapeutic approach to achieve these goals.
Not just another fall in the elderly
Melissa Gillett, Sara Haak
Bilateral adrenal lymphoma presenting with adrenal insufficiency causing weakness.
Sickness certificates: To write or not to write
Sara Bird
This article provides some guidance for GPs on how to write (and not to write) sickness certificates.
Depression in adolescents: Key issues in assessment and management
Leanne Rowe, Bruce Tonge
Mental disorders affect young people disproportionately and are increasing in prevalence. Knowledge about depression in adolescents and skill in its management lags behind that for adults. Depression is the most common mental disorder and untreated depression is associated with significant adverse effects.
Clinical challenge
Earn 4 CPD points per issue
Questions for this month's clinical challenge are based on theme articles in this issue. The style and scope of questions is in keeping with the MCQ of the College Fellowship exam.
Eye series: Dry eyes
Chris Hodge, Gerard Sutton
During her regular check-up a 68 year old woman patient mentions, as an aside, that the recent hot weather has left her eyes with a 'dry, gritty feeling'. The feeling is more noticeable toward the end of the day and on further questioning has gradually become more prominent over the past few years.
Radiology quiz: Complex partial seizures
Matthew G Richardson
A 24 year old woman with a past history of febrile convulsions presents with a history of several episodes of 'funny turns' over a period of six months.
Brain teaser: Chronic dermatitis
Jerzy K Pawlak
A 57 year old man with a history of diabetes presents with chronic dermatitis in the third interspace of his left hand. Current medications include oral antihypertensives and sulfonylureas for glycaemic control.
Sustaining quality general practice in a flawed market
Patrick Bolton
Recent years have seen an increasing corporatisation of general practice.
Research: High blood pressure research in Australian general practice
Mark Nelson
Hypertension is the most frequently managed individual problem in general practice, comprising 6% of all problems. In this issue, patient adherence to management, is found in a highly innovative research study to be intermixed with patients’ understanding and beliefs.
Research: Patients' views of high blood pressure, its treatment and risks
Carly Taylor, Alison Ward
To examine the understanding and beliefs of a sample of Australian patients about high blood pressure and its therapy, and to examine the accuracy of their assessment of their own risk.
Research: The management of dementia in general practice - A field test of guidelines
C Bridges-Webb, J Wolk, H Britt, D Pond
Guidelines for the management of dementia in noninstitutionalised patients living in the community were developed by a broadly representative group. We assessed their usefulness.
Research: Trends and geographic variations in hospital admissions for asthma in Victoria
Z Ansari, M M Haby, T Henderson, F Cicuttini, M J Ackland
To describe variations in rates of hospital admissions for asthma in Victoria as health indicators of quality of primary care services and access.