BMJ Best Practice Podcast

COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is common. The pooled global prevalence is 15% in men and 9% in women. The expanding epidemic of smoking and the ageing of the population means that its prevalence is increasing. And COPD is a serious disease. It is associated with recurrent pneumonia, cor pulmonale, and respiratory failure. In this BMJ Best Practice podcast, Kieran Walsh talks to Dr....

Transient ischemic attacks are common - in the UK, the US and around the world. And they are important – mainly because of the high risk of stroke following a TIA. The risk of stroke is high in the first 7 days. So it is important to get on with diagnosis, investigations, and management as soon as possible. In this BMJ Best Practice podcast, Kieran Walsh talks to Dr Jennifer Simpson, Vascular Neur...

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained heart rhythm disorder in adults worldwide. The prevalence is between 2% and 4%. If left untreated, atrial fibrillation is a significant risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction and congestive cardiac failure. So it is important that we get diagnosis and management of this condition right. In this BMJ Best Practice podcast on new-onset atrial fi...

Axial spondyloarthritis is a chronic progressive inflammatory arthropathy, which ultimately may lead to radiographical changes in the spine and sacroiliac joints. This radiographical stage is known as ankylosing spondylitis. Inflammatory back pain is the hallmark clinical feature. This is defined as back pain that is of insidious onset, is worse in the morning, and improves with exercise. In this...

Ischaemic stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization defines stroke as “a clinical syndrome consisting of rapidly developing clinical signs of focal (or global) disturbance of cerebral function, lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death, with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin”. David Wang, Professor of Neurology, Barrow Neurological...

Essential tremor is characterised by a progressive tremor of the upper extremities, present in posture and action, without other neurological signs or symptoms. The prevalence and incidence increases with age, but the condition can appear in early adulthood in those who have a family history. Sheng-Han Kuo, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, gives us an overview of th...

Patients with asthma present with recurrent episodes of shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, or coughing. Examination typically demonstrates an expiratory wheeze; however, in severe asthma there is poor air entry and the chest is silent. Lauren Eggert, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, gives...

Bacterial meningitis represents a life-threatening inflammation of the meninges. Elisabeth Adderson, Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty, Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, gives an overview of the condition. For more on bacterial meningitis, visit BMJ Best Practice: bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/3000104 - The purpose of t...

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterised by hyperglycaemia due to absolute insulin deficiency. The condition develops due to destruction of pancreatic beta cells, mostly by immune-mediated mechanisms. In this podcast, Rajesh Garg, Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, gives us an overview of the condition. For more on type 1 diabetes, visit BMJ...

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common condition defined as chronic, excessive worry for at least six months that causes distress or impairment. Christopher Gale, Research Director and Consultant Psychiatrist, Southern District Health Board, New Zealand gives a clinical overview of the condition. For more on GAD, visit BMJ Best Practice: bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/120 - The purpose...

Lyme disease is an infectious disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. Erythema migrans develops at the site of tick bite usually within 1 to 2 weeks and is a pathognomic feature. Constitutional symptoms such as fever, headache, myalgias, fatigue, and arthralgias may occur. In this podcast, Janak Koirala, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Division of Infectiou...

Jet lag and sleep phase disorders affect millions of travellers worldwide. Rapid change in time zone produces a constellation of symptoms called jet lag disorder. Symptoms include difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, reduced daytime alertness, general malaise, and gastrointestinal symptoms. In this podcast, Ashish Adlakha, Assistant Clinical Professor, Neurology and Sleep Medicine, Connect...

Post-traumatic stress disorder may develop (either immediately or delayed) following exposure to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. According to DSM-5, it is characterised by 4 groups of symptoms: intrusion symptoms, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity. These symptoms must impair functi...

Chronic congestive heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill with or eject blood. It is a major and growing public health problem. In this podcast, Syed Wamique Yusuf, FACC, FRCPI Syed Wamique Yusuf, Professor of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, University of Texas MD Anderson...

Kieran Walsh, clinical director at BMJ, asks editors from BMJ Learning and BMJ Best Practice to summarise the latest clinical guidance related to Covid-19. Abigail Davis, GP and section editor, covers the latest evidence around vaccine immunogenicity in different immunosuppressed populations, as well as the use of interleukin-6 inhibitors in COVID-19 patients. And Emma Scott, section editor, updat...

Persistent depressive disorder is a category that includes various forms of chronic depression in which depressive symptoms are present 'more days than not' over at least a 2-year period (1 year in children and adolescents). David J. Hellerstein, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, gives us a clinical overview of the condition. For more on persistent depressive di...

Chronic sinusitis is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses lasting more than 12 weeks. Symptoms include facial pressure, rhinorrhoea, postnasal drainage, congestion, and general malaise. Raj Sindwani, Section Head of Rhinology, Sinus, and Skull Base Surgery, Head and Neck Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, gives us a clinical overview of the condition. For more on chronic sinusitis, visit BMJ...

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder, characterised by severe preoccupation about weight and body shape. Includes recurrent episodes of binge eating with compensatory mechanisms, such as self-induced vomiting, to prevent weight gain. Debra Safer, Associate Professor, Co-Director of Stanford Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, gives us an overview of the co...

Giant cell arteritis is a common form of vasculitis in people aged 50 years or older. The extracranial branches of the carotid artery are usually affected. Kenneth J. Warrington, Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, gives us an overview of the condition. For more on giant cell arteritis, visit BMJ Best Practice: bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/177 - The purpose of this podcast...

Kieran Walsh, clinical director at BMJ, asks editors from BMJ Learning and BMJ Best Practice to summarise the latest clinical guidance related to covid-19. Emma Scott, section editor, updates us on vaccination for pregnant and breastfeeding women. And Abigail Davis, GP and section editor, covers myocardial infarction and pre-existing respiratory conditions. For more, see: BMJ Best Practice's topic...

Kieran Walsh, clinical director at BMJ, asks editors from BMJ Learning and BMJ Best Practice to summarise the latest clinical guidance related to covid-19. Emma Scott, section editor, updates us on vaccination and the risk of blood clots. And Abigail Davis, GP and section editor, covers acute kidney injury, venous thromboembolism prevention, and secondary bacterial pneumonia. For more, see: BMJ Be...

Depression can describe both a mood and an illness. Major depressive disorder is a clinical syndrome involving mood, neurovegetative functions, cognition, and behaviour. It affects 5% to 10% of patients in the primary care setting. Dean F. MacKinnon, Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, gives us an overview of how to diagnose and manage de...

Childhood constipation is typically characterised by infrequent bowel evacuations, large stools, and difficult or painful defecation. Symptoms may result from low fibre, poor nutrient, and/or insufficient water intake, which leads to excessive hardening of the stool. This often starts as an acute problem but can progress to faecal impaction and chronic constipation. Claire Zar-Kessler, Instructor...

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is characterised by vasospasm that causes digits to change colour to white (pallor) from lack of blood flow, usually brought on by cold temperatures. Affected areas subsequently turn blue due to de-oxygenation and/or red due to reperfusion. It can be a painful condition and can lead to complications. Janet Pope, Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Department...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition that is often unrecognised until the most advanced stages. The most common causes are diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Manisha Singh, Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, gives us an overview of the condition. For more, visit BMJ Best Practice: bestpractice.bm...