Drugs
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Antiepileptic drugs are an effective treatment for various forms of neuropathic pain of peripheral origin, although they rarely provide complete pain relief. Multiple multicentre randomised controlled trials have shown clear efficacy of gabapentin and pregabalin for postherpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic neuropathy. Theses drugs can be rapidly titrated and are well tolerated. ⋯ There is an apparent need for large-scale randomised controlled trials on the efficacy of antiepileptic drugs in neuropathic pain in general, and in cancer-related neuropathic pain and neuropathic pain of central origin in particular. Trials with long-term follow-up are required to establish the long-term efficacy of antiepileptic drugs in neuropathic pain. There is only limited scientific evidence to support the idea that drug combinations are likely to be more efficacious and safer than each drug alone; further studies are warranted in this area.
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Imatinib (Gleevec, Glivec) is a synthetic tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). It is specifically designed to inhibit the breakpoint cluster region (BCR)-Abelson (ABL) fusion protein that results from the chromosomal abnormality known as the Philadelphia chromosome. CML is characterised by this abnormality, which leads to abnormalities of the peripheral blood and bone marrow including an increase in the number of granular leukocytes. ⋯ Allogeneic HSCT is currently the only potentially curative treatment, but it is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality and is not suitable for all patients. The introduction of imatinib has had a marked impact on outcomes in patients with CML. It remains a valuable treatment for all stages of the disease, especially initial treatment of newly diagnosed Ph+ chronic-phase CML, and is endorsed by European and US treatment guidelines as a first-line option.
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Atorvastatin has been extensively studied in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events, and may have some clinical advantages over various other statins in these respects. The principal primary prevention study of atorvastatin, ASCOT-LLA (Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Lipid Lowering Arm), revealed that atorvastatin reduced the relative risk of primary coronary heart disease (CHD) events by 36% (p = 0.0005) compared with placebo in patients with hypertension. Much published data confirm the secondary preventive benefits of atorvastatin in various clinical settings. ⋯ Furthermore, the ARMYDA (Atorvastatin for Reduction in MYocardial DAmage during angioplasty) and ARMYDA-3 trials showed that 7 days' administration of atorvastatin 40 mg/day before coronary intervention significantly reduced the risks of periprocedural myocardial damage (ARMYDA), postprocedural MI (p = 0.025; ARMYDA) and atrial fibrillation (p = 0.003; ARMYDA-3) versus placebo. In addition, it has been reported that C-reactive protein levels and the combined incidence of cardiovascular events (death, MI and target segment revascularisation during the 6-month follow-up) were significantly higher in coronaropathic patients undergoing non-surgical revascularisation procedures (stent implantation) not receiving statin therapy compared with those treated with atorvastatin (80mg). Overall, therefore, the marked efficacy of atorvastatin in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events underscores the pivotal place that this statin has in general cardiovascular disease management, and suggests even greater potential clinical utility for the drug in some clinical settings.
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Diabetes mellitus affects about 8% of the adult population. The estimated number of patients with diabetes, presently about 170 million people, is expected to increase by 50-70% within the next 25 years. Diabetes is an important component of the complex of 'common' cardiovascular risk factors, and is responsible for acceleration and worsening of atherothrombosis. ⋯ This approach includes lifestyle modifications, such as dietary changes and smoking cessation and the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), which are able to correct the lipid status and to prevent major cardiovascular events independently of the baseline lipidaemic or cardiovascular status. Tight control of hypertension is essential to reduce not only major cardiovascular events but also microvascular complications. Among antihypertensive measures, blockade of the RAAS by means of ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor antagonists recently emerged as a potentially polyvalent approach, not only for treating hypertension and reducing cardiovascular events, but also to prevent or reduce albuminuria, counteract diabetic nephropathy and lower the occurrence of new type 2 diabetes in individuals at risk.
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Diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common causes of neuropathic pain. The management of DPN consists of excluding other causes of painful peripheral neuropathy, maximising diabetic control and using medications to alleviate pain. The precise relationship between glycaemic control and the development and severity of DPN remains controversial. ⋯ Capsaicin has the best evidence base of all the topical agents, but local anaesthetic patches may also have a useful therapeutic role. It is not possible to nominate a single drug as the first-line treatment for DPN and there is evidence that a low-dose combination of two or more drugs rather than a single agent may provide better symptomatic relief with fewer adverse effects. Further studies are necessary to clarify the best combination(s) of treatment for DPN.