CPD

• Women have an increased risk of VTE in pregnancy and post-partum because of normal physiological changes; it is uncommon, but potentially serious.
• There are many risk factors, but previous VTE is the single biggest risk factor.
• DVT is more common than PE; both can occur throughout pregnancy, with the greatest risk post-partum.
• PE shares many clinical features with normal pregnancy and other more common conditions.
• Anticoagulation with LMWH (enoxaparin) is the recommended treatment for VTE; it does not cross the placenta or into breastmilk.

Keeping LDL-C levels lower throughout life can help substantially reduce CVD risk.¹ GPs play an essential role in identifying patients at risk of CVD and managing their treatment.² This includes prescribing lipid-lowering medicines for people at high risk of CVD.³ Although for most patients, elevated lipids can be assessed and managed effectively by GPs, there are some groups of patients who may benefit from referral to a specialist.⁴ These include patients whose total cholesterol is more than 7.5mmol/L, patients who fail to show an effective response to second-line treatment and those with familial hypercholesterolaemia.⁴