Alzheimer's disease is associated with a large cost burden, of which institutionalised care constitutes a major component. Therefore, the decision to move a patient from the community to institutionalised care is associated with a significant increase in direct costs. About three-quarters of...

Neutropenic patients with cancer are at risk of serious infection, particularly if neutropenia is severe or prolonged. Because patients with neutropenia have a diminished inflammatory response, fever is sometimes the first, and only, sign of infection. Prompt empirical antibacterial therapy is...

Growing concern about the rapid emergence of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as beta-lactamase-mediated resistance among Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, has lead to reconsideration of the management of acute otitis media in children. Acute otitis media is...

Contemporary asthma management guidelines list inhaled corticosteroids as the preferred controller medication for patients with persistent asthma. Despite the availability of explicit guidelines, there is evidence that these agents are underused and that guidelines are not always adhered to....

Outpatient parenteral antibacterial therapy (OPAT) is an increasingly popular means of containing the costs of antibacterial therapy, by avoiding the need for hospitalisation or allowing early discharge from hospital, in patients with serious infections. It also offers increased comfort and...

_ The combined formulation of diclofenac/misoprostol provides effective relief of pain and inflammation, with a 2- to 3-fold lower incidence of NSAID-associated gastroduodenal ulcers than diclofenac monotherapy. _ Both components of the combined formulation have been widely used and have well...

Advanced breast cancer has a poor prognosis (median duration of survival about 2 years); thus, treatment options are largely palliative. Recent studies with the taxoids docetaxel and paclitaxel suggest that these agents are effective second-line therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer....

In patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), it is uncommon for the causative pathogen to be identified when initial antimicrobial therapy is prescribed. Thus, an empirical approach is generally taken, based on antimicrobial therapy which covers the major pathogens of CAP. Although...

Alcohol dependence is a major health problem associated with substantial social and healthcare costs. Until recently, the only available management options for maintaining abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients after detoxification were psychosocial/behavioural therapies (including self-help...

Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder caused by degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, is characterized by resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. For over 30 years levodopa has been considered as the first-line treatment for this...