The perennial outrage over emergency winter pressure in NHS hospitals is now subsiding. As usual, we have seen the blame game and finger-wagging headlines about the failure to prepare. Emergency cash injections ensue, which of course is just fire-fighting money, while recommendations and solutions seem to be ignored. A year later we do it all […]
More work needs to be done to examine the real world effects of the commonly prescribed diabetes drug empagliflozin, new research in the journal Diabetes Therapy finds. Examining data from over 60,000 patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers from the University of Surrey discovered that the highly-publicised cardiovascular benefits of the popular diabetes drug empagliflozin […]
We all like to over indulge at Christmas and most of us can get away with feasting on delicious turkey, mince pies, brandy cream and champagne. The average person eats around a whopping 5,240 calories on Christmas Day, including a lot of fat. Most of us can get away with it. But overeating is dangerous […]
Leukaemia treatment can be made more effective by using a drug for iron overload, according to new research. Scientists led by a team at Imperial College London have found that chemotherapy for one type of leukaemia could be improved by giving patients a drug currently used to treat an unrelated condition. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) […]
Increased tax on new diesel vehicles is a welcome move, but there is still much more to be done to tackle the air pollution crisis, writes Dr Penny Woods, Chief Executive, British Lung Foundation. ‘Unlike the smoky pollution of the past, today’s toxic air is an invisible killer. The air may look cleaner now, but a cocktail of […]
Snoring may inspire jokes but it is no laughing matter if you are one of the estimated 40 per cent of adults affected in the UK. Anyone can snore, but, according to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association (BSSAA), more than two-thirds of snorers are men. ‘Men are more likely to carry weight around […]
Twelve years ago, the first Heart Rhythm Congress took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham with an invited audience of 850. I am delighted to say that this year, our annual symposium is bigger and better than ever. Due to take place at the ICC in Birmingham between 1-4 October, it will welcome […]
People who are dying from interstitial lung disease are wasting the precious time they have left finding their way around an ineffective and unnecessarily complicated healthcare system. That’s according to a report by the British Lung Foundation. A map for better care: making effective care pathways for people with interstitial lung disease (ILD), highlights the […]
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The populist radical right is a threat to core values of medicine and public health, even within a functioning democratic system, according to a commentary published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. In his paper, political scientist Professor Scott Greer, who specialises in researching the politics of health policies of the European Union, attempts to explain what the rising tide […]
AF or ‘atrial fibrillation’ is the most common heart rhythm disorder, and is a leading cause of AF-related stroke. AF is responsible for 20 per cent of all strokes; for individuals with AF, the risk of suffering an AF-related stroke is increased five fold. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risk of AF-related stroke, […]
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