Migraine prophylaxis – finally, something that works

22nd April 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

migraines

We know migraines as recurrent episodes of headache, associated with symptoms such as nausea, photophobia and phonophobia. While we have agents that can treat acute migraine pretty effectively, many patients with migraines have frequent episodes. These patients with frequent migraines should be offered migraine prophylaxis. Unfortunately, amongst patients with frequent migraines, only 3–13% receive migraine preventive treatment [1,2].…

Quadruple therapy for heart failure – why is there treatment inertia?

9th April 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

Quadruple therapy

We are all aware of the treatment inertia in the management of patients with diabetes. In patients with heart failure, several drug classes have demonstrated significant but independent survival benefit. Quadruple therapy with an angiotensin receptor–neprilsyin inhibitor (ARNI), evidence-based β-blocker, mineralo-corticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) can cumulatively reduce the risk of death by 73% over 2 years (1).…

Medicinal Cannabis – is it the wonder drug?

12th March 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

Medicinal cannabis

I don’t about you but I seem to be bombarded by emails championing the wonderful things that cannabis oil can do. I even had a pharmaceutical rep swinging by to ask why I wasn’t prescribing cannabis oil for my patients. I even have a specialist (of sorts) that recommended that my patient come and discuss cannabis oil for his condition with me.…

Routine ECG in T2D – is it necessary?

!2th March 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

Routine ECG

A substantial number of myocardial infarctions (MIs) are asymptomatic (silent MI (SMI)) or associated with minor and atypical symptoms and are found accidentally during routine electrocardiogram (ECG) examinations that reveal the existence of abnormal Q waves. The risk factors for occurrence of SMI are increasing age, hypertension, existing coronary artery disease and diabetes.…

Auto-immune arthropathy – understanding the IL-23/IL-17 pathway

26th February 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

arthropathies

Back in medical school, we were taught that we have B-cells and T-cells. B-cells are responsible for humoral immunity and T-cells are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. T-cells could be killer cells or helper cells although we also have regulatory T-cells which tells the naïve T-cells how to behave. Of course, over the last 2-3 decades, we know more about what makes the regulatory T-cells decide what to tell these naïve cells.…

Carotid artery stenosis – should I have diagnosed it earlier?

11th February 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

CVA

We all have come across this awful scenario. Patient was admitted to hospital with a TIA or a stroke due to significant carotid stenosis. As good caring GPs, we looked back and wonder whether we should have known about the stenosis. After all, these patients often have other hallmarks of atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease or peripheral arterial disease and the usual cardiovascular risk factors and we should have suspected carotid stenosis.…

Sex hormones and eye abnormalities – how are they related?

11th January 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo

Sex hormones are not just responsible for the function of the reproductive system. They are also responsible for bone and cardiovascular health. Interestingly, they are produced, not only by the gonads, but also by other organs (1,2) including the central nervous system (CNS). Well, the eye is a neural structure and there is increasing evidence that oestrogens exert a neuro-protective role (3,4).…

Angiopoeitin-like 3 inhibitors – new therapy for hypercholesterolaemia

27th December 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

Every time we come across some rare genetic disorder, we learn more about the intricacies of metabolism. Nothing is more true when it comes to lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Familial combined hypolipidemia (FCHL) is a relatively recently recognised autosomal recessive disorder characterised by globally reduced levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride, with no apparent adverse effects.…

PCSK9 inhibitors on PBS – who can be on it?

24th December 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

PBS Authority

It’s been a couple of years since we first previewed the PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) on the PBS for patients with dyslipidaemia despite maximal statins and ezetimibe. Since then PCSK9i have been demonstrated in many trials of its efficacy in patients with high cardiovascular risk with dyslipidaemia despite maximally tolerated statins. The qualifying criteria  under the PBS has significantly loosened and suddenly we all have a number of patients who will meet those PBS criteria.…

Stroke prevention – are two agents better than one?

13th December 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

Stroke prevention

If you have been following GPVoice over the years, you would have realised that I am easily confused. I am confused again. Why are some patients who has had a TIA or minor stroke on aspirin and some on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT)? With supplies of some of these agents interrupted during the pandemic, can we swab one anti-platelet agent for another?…