The Medical journal of Australia
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Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterised by the loss of the normal atonia during the REM stage of sleep, resulting in overt motor behaviours that usually represent the enactment of dreams. Patients will seek medical attention due to sleep-related injuries or unpleasant dream content. Idiopathic RBD which occurs independently of any other disease occurs in up to 2% of the older population. ⋯ This suggests that idiopathic RBD represents a prodromal phase of these conditions. Physicians should be aware of the risk of phenoconversion. They should educate idiopathic RBD patients to recognise the symptoms of these conditions and refer as appropriate for further testing and enrolment into research trials focused on neuroprotective measures.
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Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia is characterised by insidious changes in personality and interpersonal conduct that reflect progressive disintegration of the neural circuits involved in social cognition, emotion regulation, motivation and decision making. The underlying pathology is heterogeneous and classified according to the presence of intraneuronal inclusions of tau, TDP-43 or, occasionally, fused in sarcoma proteins. Biomarkers to detect these histopathological changes in life are increasingly important with the development of disease-modifying drugs. ⋯ Detailed history taking from family members to elicit behavioural features underpins the diagnostic process, with support from neuropsychological testing designed to detect impairment in decision making, emotion processing and social cognition. Brain imaging is important for increasing the level of diagnosis certainty over time. Carer education and support remain of paramount importance.
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are so prevalent they cannot reasonably have their diagnoses and management based within specialty care. However, delayed diagnosis, lengthy wait times for specialist review, overinvestigation and lack of clear diagnostic communication are common. ⋯ IBS, in particular, is no longer a diagnosis of exclusion, and there are now effective dietary and psychological therapies that may be accessed without specialist referral. The faecal calprotectin test is widely available, yet not on the Medical Benefits Schedule, and a normal test result reliably discriminates between people with IBS and patients who warrant specialist referral.