Clin Med
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It is becoming increasingly clear that genomics is beginning to have a major impact in guiding diagnoses and treatment of many disorders. As the cost of DNA sequencing continues to drop and more patient genomes are sequenced, the challenge is to deliver this knowledge to the clinic, particularly in cancer. ⋯ Genetic approaches, thought to be pipedreams five years ago for diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, are now showing promise in clinical trials and many of these methodologies are being applied more widely for other diseases. The era of genomic medicine has arrived.
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People with spinal cord injury (SCI) suffer from the complications of paralysis in addition to the diseases of the general population. Spinal injury centres in the UK are tasked primarily with looking after newly injured patients and patients with established SCI must often turn to their local hospitals and general physicians for inpatient medical care. This paper outlines investigation and management of some of the common conditions which the physician on the general ward might expect to come across in patients with SCI and also how best to maintain the general health of the SCI patient in hospital.