Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Ritonavir and cobicistat, used as pharmacokinetic enhancers in combination with some antiretrovirals (ARVs) for the treatment of HIV, are potent inhibitors of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme. Most glucocorticoids are metabolised via the CYP3A4 pathway and iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome (ICS), with possible secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI), is a recognised complication following co-administration with ritonavir or cobicistat. ⋯ While this significant drug interaction and its complications are now well-recognised, it is apparent that there is no standardised approach to management or guidance for the general physician. Here we describe the management of ICS/SAI in our current practice, review the available evidence and suggest practice recommendations.
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Acute care common stem acute medicine (ACCS AM) training was designed to develop competent multi-skilled acute physicians to manage patients with multimorbidity from 'door to discharge' in an era of increasing acute hospital admissions. Recent surveys by the Royal College of Physicians have suggested that acute medical specialties are proving less attractive to trainees. ⋯ Using London as a region with a 100% fill rate for its ACCS AM training programme, this study showed only 14% of trainees go on to higher specialty training in acute internal medicine and a further 10% to pursue higher medical specialty training with dual accreditation with internal medicine. 16% of trainees switched from ACCS AM to emergency medicine or anaesthetics during core ACCS training, and intensive care medicine proved to be the most popular career choice for ACCS AM trainees (21%). The ACCS AM training programme therefore does not appear to be providing what it was set out to do and this paper discusses the potential causes and effects.
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Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a rare inflammatory condition. It can present in adult general medical patients and is a challenging diagnostic conundrum. This article provides an overview of the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of the syndrome for the general physician who will be rarely confronted with this problem but will have to act promptly when the situation arises. Treatment is also briefly discussed, although this usually occurs in a specialist setting after the diagnosis has been established.
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Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) remain a challenge in modern healthcare, particularly given the increasing complexity of therapeutics, an ageing population and rising multimorbidity. This article summarises some of the key facts about ADRs and explores aspects relating to their prevention, diagnosis, reporting and management in current clinical practice.