Australian Family Physician July 2005 - Shortness of Breath
Vol 34, (7):513 - 608
The theme for this month's Australian Family Physician is
Shortness of Breath. Articles explore issues of managing panic disorder,
spirometry, acute asthma attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
and chronic heart failure.
Not waving...drowning?
Jenni Parsons
American poet TS Eliot's The love song of J Alfred Prufrock has always intrigued me; its meaning glimpsed, almost grasped, almost breathed in... and then, just as quickly... gone.
Presentations of shortness of breath in Australian general practice
Janice Charles, Anthea Ng, Helena Britt
The BEACH program, a continuous national study of general practice activity in Australia, gives us an overview of the consultations in general practice involving a patient presentation of shortness of breath. This provides a backdrop against which articles in this issue of Australian Family Physician can be further considered.
"I can't breathe"
Peter Thomas
Acute dyspnoea is a distressing symptom that can suddenly affect any age group. The article provides an approach to the identification of causes and initial management of acute dyspnoea based on history, physical assessment, appropriate triage and investigation.
Management of an acute asthma attack
Amanda Barnard
Despite a more proactive approach to asthma management, which includes an increased range of drugs, wide dissemination of guidelines, and the use of asthma action plans, an acute severe asthma attack is one of the most common emergencies a general practitioner will encounter.
Spirometry: an essential clinical measurement
Rob Pierce
Respiratory disease is common and amenable to early detection and management in the primary care setting.
Shortness of breath
Christine F McDonald
Of all the major diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the one for which the burden is increasing the fastest.
Chronic heart failure
Leon Piterman, Hendrik Zimmet, Henry Krum, Andrew Tonkin and Julie Yallop
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in developed countries where it predominately affects elderly persons with a range of other comorbid conditions requiring polypharmacy.
Pulmonary embolism
Megan Rees and Trevor J Williams
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially life threatening disorder most commonly seen in debilitated patients with other common medical problems.
Managing panic disorder in general practice
David Austin, Grant Blashki, David Barton and Britt Klein
Panic disorder (PD) is common in the community and contributes to significant distress and decreased quality of life for people who suffer from it.
An integrative approach to asthma
Craig Hassed
Conventional asthma management has provided significant symptomatic relief for asthma sufferers, as well as having saved the lives of many asthma patients.
Patient Education: Asthma first aid for your child
Australian Family Physician - Patient Education
Most children with asthma are well controlled on asthma preventer medications. However, colds, flu and other triggers such as dust, pollens, animals, tobacco smoke and exercise can sometimes set off an asthma attack with little warning.
Cervical screening and human papillomavirus
Belinda Sheary and Linda Dayan
Cervical screening in Australia has been successful in reducing the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer.
Making sense of breast pathology
Michael Bilous, Meagan Brennan and James French
An understanding of breast pathology is essential when caring for women with breast disease.
Brain Teaser: A patient with squint
Jerzy K Pawlak
An 11 year old boy presented with slightly decreased vision and intermittent divergent strabismus.
Clinical Challenge
Steve Trumble
Questions for this month's clinical challenge are based on articles in this issue.
Banda Aceh
Miriam Grotowski
I have just returned from 2 weeks in Banda Aceh, as part of the Dr George Somers led project to look at primary health care provision in this, the rehabilitation phase of the tsunami disaster. Banda Aceh is the capital city of Aceh, a district on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Should I report the death to the Coroner?
Sara Bird
Case histories are based on actual medical negligence claims, however certain facts have been omitted or changed by the author to ensure the anonymity of the parties involved. The aim of this article is to outline the circumstances in which a general practitioner should report a patient's death to the Coroner.
Complementary and alternative medicine
Vicki Kotsirilos
This is the first of a two part series exploring issues around the use of complementary and alternative medicine in the Australian general practice context.
Psychological distress among GPs
Jackie Holt and Chris Del Mar Alternative targeted interventions may be needed to reach GPs with high levels of psychological distress.
How do Victorian GPs manage
Heather McGarry, Kelsey Hegarty and Jane Gunn
Depression is common, yet management in general practice is poorly described, especially the relationship between medication use and focussed psychological strategies.
Patients with diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance
Megan J Wright, Alan White, Terry J Lewin and Karen D Harmon
People with type 2 diabetes have double the risk of depression. This poses a significant potential burden as 8% of Australians aged over 25 years have diabetes, and 16% have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). This association may be cause or effect, or both. Depression may be a risk factor for the development of diabetes, and may contribute to additional functional impairment, poorer diet, medication noncompliance, and increasing susceptibility to diabetes.