Familial hypercholesterolaemia – is it really that rare?
9th April 2023, Dr Chee L Khoo One of the most important contributor to atherosclerosis is elevated cholesterol levels. Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a genetic disease that manifests as a disorder of cholesterol metabolism by mutations in hereditary genes usually in an autosomal dominant manner. Data suggest that 1 in 200 Caucasians are heterozygous for […]
Myopia – can we prevent it?
12th March 2023, Dr Chee L Khoo Myopia, especially high myopia is associated with increased risk of irreversible blinding conditions, including myopic retinopathy, retinal detachment, choroidal neovascularisation, and glaucoma (1-4) leading to a heavy cost burden on individuals and communities (5). So, it makes sense to see whether we could prevent or delay the onset […]
The tale of two cysts
24th February 2022, Spectrum Medical Imaging Case 1 7-year-old girl has 3-week history of headache, lethargy and vomiting.Woke up in the morning with headache and vomiting, presented to hospital casualty. Urgent CT brain showed acute hydrocephalus with raised intracranial pressure requiring urgent operative insertion of ventricular drain to reduce ventricular pressure. What is the cause […]
Covid-19 and newborn – scary stuff?
25th October 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo Although our numbers of new Covid-19 infections and community transmission is pretty good in comparison with most other countries in the world, it isn’t zero. This is as good as it gets for at least the next 12 months. One of the scariest things is transmission of the […]
Anti-depressants in pregnancy – which agent is less bad?
14th August 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo Most women would prefer not to take any medications during the pregnancy for fear of any potential teratogenic effects on the foetus. However, for some women, the use of anti-depressants is necessary. Managing these mental disorders during pregnancy and the post-partum period can be challenging (1-2) but effective […]
National Immunisation Program – a GP-friendly look at the changes
11th July 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo Another month, another change to the immunisation schedule. You must have heard about the major changes to schedule from 1st July. There are changes to who should get the pneumonia vaccines and which pneumonia vaccine they should get under the National Immunisation Program (NIP). Oh, that is, if […]
Paediatric Radiology – the tale of two cysts
28th April, Spectrum Radiology This month’s radiology series is brought to you by Dr Chee Chung Hiew, a Paediatric Radiologist at Spectrum Medical Imaging. In Case 1, we have a 7 year-old girl with a 3 week history of headache, lethargy and vomiting. She woke up one morning with severe vomiting and presented to ED. […]
Paediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) – Is it real?
25th December 2019, Dr Chee L Khoo They used to call it “Paediatric Infection Triggered Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders” (PITANDS)(1). Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? They were referring to children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who had a sudden onset of their psychiatric symptoms, typically following infection with a variety of agents, including group A streptococcus (pyogenes), varicella […]
Acid suppression in infants – 2 questions to ponder before prescribing
13th July 2019, Dr Chee L Khoo Gastroesophageal acid reflux disease in babies is a common presentation in general practice. Crying, frequent vomiting or regurgitation and sometimes poor weight gain can transform a lovely and cute baby into a monster. Acid suppressants, including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) are increasingly being prescribed […]
Montelukast and neuropsychiatric events in kids with asthma – is there a link?
10th June 2019, Dr Chee L Khoo Children with moderate to severe asthma often needs more than the usual bronchodilators. Even the newer long acting beta agonists (LABA) or long acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) may not be enough to control the symptoms and reduce exacerbations and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are often needed. But we are […]
Paediatric intracranial tumours – ordering the right test
A meningioma is a benign tumour that arises from the meninges. Meningiomas are often slow-growing, however in some instances, they may be fast-growing and their effects on adjacent brain tissue, nerves or vessels may cause serious disability. Timely access to a Bulk Billable MRI scan can enable a quick diagnosis and appropriate referral for neurosurgery without […]
Paediatric MRIs – which ones are Medicare rebatable?
One of the problems of MRIs coming on and coming off Medicare rebates over time is the immense confusion to us GPs. This is especially so in the area of Paediatric MRIs. Fortunately, our colleagues at Spectrum Radiology has put together a quick reference guide for use in practice. The guide is now available under GP Resources […]