Warning over COPD misdiagnosis as spirometry declines and triple therapy rises
A 31% collapse in spirometry testing rates and ballooning scripts for triple therapy suggest COPD cases are being missed and patients incorrectly treated, experts say.…
Tag: Respiratory
How did this GP clinic handle a serial defecator on its doorstep?
The first time it happened, staff at a GP clinic decided a human poo on their doorstep was a one-off number two. But when the…
Mouth taping for sleep apnoea risks asphyxiation: review
A social media trend of night-time mouth taping could be dangerous for those with sleep apnoea, a review shows. Taping the mouth shut while sleeping…
Australia’s first infant RSV immunisation program linked to 57% drop in hospitalisations
Widespread use of nirsevimab in infants may reduce RSV-related hospitalisations by more than half, suggests a real-world study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.…
A GP guide to tuberculosis
Need to know: Tuberculosis, caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a significant health challenge globally. Although up to 25% of the world’s population will…
What time of day is best for asthma preventer use? Research hints at an answer
A single dose of inhaled corticosteroid at 4pm may optimise lung function in patients with asthma who otherwise succumb to nocturnal dips, a small study…
Influenza surges early with 58,000 cases so far this year
A GP expert says this year’s early influenza surge is unsurprising but disappointing as it can be explained partly by Australia’s low vaccination rates. More…
Bronchodilator responsiveness is lower with afternoon and wintertime spirometry: study
Bronchodilator responsiveness falls by 8% for each hour of the day that has elapsed, showing the importance of spirometry timing, UK researchers say. The retrospective…
Why is it so hard to say no when patients demand unnecessary treatments?
We GPs are practical types. Not only do we like to tell people what to do, we also like having the skills to do things…
‘CT in a truck’ fleet won’t be ready when national lung cancer screening starts
GPs will start screening patients for lung cancer in July but outback towns will not see the promised mobile CT scanners until at least November,…
