December 2021 edition of Australian Prescriber out now

Different types of myocardial infarction require different care

High-sensitivity troponin assays have unmasked a host of previously unrecognised types of myocardial injury for which conventional management may not deliver similar survival benefits. Dr Joanne Eng-Frost and Prof Derek Chew from the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide describe the five types of myocardial infarction, how they are diagnosed, and how they are treated.

Medical abortion in primary care

In Australia, around a quarter of pregnancies are unplanned and around one in three of these end in abortion. Medical Director of Family Planning NSW Deborah Bateson and co-authors discuss medical and surgical abortions, and what to consider when advising a patient.

Non-anaemic iron deficiency – a condition to be identified and managed

Iron deficiency is the world’s most common mineral deficiency, and also an important public health problem in Australia. Drs Shalini Balendran and Cecily Forsyth from Westmead Hospital and Central Coast Haematology discuss the diagnosis of iron deficiency in non-anaemic patients and its management, with dietary considerations and iron supplements being first-line treatments.

Testing for cirrhosis

Morbidity and mortality from liver cirrhosis are rising in Australia and worldwide. Gastroentereoligists Sidhartha Gupta and Sarah Walker from the Canberra Hospital look at the testing for cirrhosis, which may be asymptomatic until it becomes decompensated. Careful clinical assessment, biochemical markers and imaging can provide a reliable evaluation of a patient with cirrhosis.

Investigating thyroid nodules

Worldwide, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been rising over the last few decades, reflecting the increasing use of medical imaging. However, the mortality rate has not risen significantly. Drs Nisha Venkatesh and Jui Ho from the Southern Adelaide Diabetes and Endocrine Services write that routine screening of thyroid nodules in patients with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism without risk factors for thyroid cancer is not recommended. They explain the risk stratification, diagnosis and management of suspicious nodules.

Top 10 drugs of 2020-21

This edition of Australian Prescriber publishes the top 10 drugs prescribed in Australia in 2020–21 under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS).

Also in this issue:

• New drugs: Axicabtagene ciloleucel for B-cell lymphoma and niraparib for ovarian cancer