23rd March 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
I thought I read somewhere many years ago that we don’t have to advocate the traditional 72-hour carbohydrate (carb) loading prior to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). I have not heard that issue being brought up of late. Well, does it increase or decrease the glucose levels of the OGTT.…
14th March 2025, NIA Diagnostic Imaging
Plantar Fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain in adults affecting about 10% of the adult population. It is most common in women aged between 40-60 years. It stems from the degenerative irritation of the plantar fascia origin at the medial calcaneal tuberosity of the heel and its surrounding perifascial structures.…
14th March 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
First it’s good then it’s not. We explored the role of colchicine in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) back in May 2024 when we looked at the LoDoCo2 trial. At the time, it was hailed as a significant development and colchicine made it into a couple of cardiology guidelines shortly after. Well, a couple of trials later, they are not so sure anymore.…
28th February 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
Every so often you come across a study where the initial and immediate impression is that there must be more to the conclusion. The latest study which connects the use of anti-depressants with further cognitive decline in patients with dementia is just one of those studies. Now, many patients who have dementia also have depression and are on anti-depressants and we don’t think twice about whether the drugs might hasten the decline in cognitive function in these patients.…
24th February 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
This is one of the most common questions asked at glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) CPD meetings. “What about the risk of thyroid cancer, doc?” As usual, the evidence is rather conflicting. The worry about the thyroid cancer risk with GLP1-RA is actually not without justification. The hypotheses is actually biologically plausible.…
NIA Diagnostic Imaging, 11th February 2025
Renal pathology in children is always difficult to diagnose. It depends on a high index of suspicion. Family history of renal pathology may offer some clues. Confirmed urinary tract infection (UTI) warrant further investigations. We need a reliable radiology provider to tell us whether there is any pathology we need to follow up. NIA Diagnostic Imaging offers high-resolution ultrasound imaging using GE LOGIC E10 systems to effectively demonstrate renal, bladder anatomy and other pathology that may be the cause of hydronephrosis.…
10th February 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
We perform cardiovascular (CV) risk assessments in our consulting rooms everyday. We assess lipid profiles, smoking history, family history and activity levels in our patients routinely and try to quantify the likelihood they may have a cardiovascular event. Over the years at GPVoice we have tried to expand beyond the traditional risk factors as more data come to hand.…
A/Prof Chee L Khoo, 26th January 2025
Obesity was first recognised as a disease by WHO in 1948, and more recently also by several medical societies and countries (1–9). The current WHO International Classification of Disease labels obesity as “a chronic complex disease”. But obesity is a highly heterogenous condition and many people with excess adiposity have no signs of illness.…
A/Prof Chee L Khoo, 23rd January 2025
We explored the benefits (or lack of) of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) back in early December 2024 when we look at the indications and criteria to initiate icosapent ethyl in patients with residual hypertriglyceridaemia for cardiovascular benefit. Now, omega-3 fatty acid (O3FA) supplements often contain a combination of EPA and DHA.…
14th January 2025, NIA Diagnostic Imaging
It is usually not difficult to diagnose osteoporosis once a patient has fractured a bone or two. The key in primary care is to try to diagnose those at risk of osteoporosis and prevent a fracture, especially neck of femur fracture. The consequence of a neck of femur fracture is quite significant especially in elder patients.…
8th January 2025, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) often (but not always) lead to daytime sleepiness and suboptimal daytime performance (including driving performance). It can also have a major effect on the quality of life (QOL) of the patient and the family. OSA is associated with a number important metabolic and cardiovascular conditions in a multidirectional manner.…
23rd December 2024, A/Prof Chee L Khoo
The reference values for serum magnesium (Mg2+) have been proposed to be somewhere between ~0.6 and ~1.2 mmol/L in healthy humans. That is a pretty wide range. Have you noticed that every second person discharged from hospital is recommended to take some Mg2+ supplement. Serum Mg2+ is often (or always) checked in hospitalised patients.…