Everyday Medicine with Dr Luke

About 7 million Australians, around 28% of our population, live in rural and remote areas encompassing many diverse locations and communities that in some instances have poor access to the medical services we may take for granted in metropolitan centres. Higher rates of hospitalisations, deaths and injury are reported from remote and rural areas and statistics show that remote and very remote area...

The journey from the VCE student to University and medical studies is highly competitive and never easy and for those undertaking a postgraduate degree in medicine, the graduate medical school admissions test-GAMSAT-designed to assess the capacity to undertake high-level intellectual studies in the medical and health professional programmes provides yet a further hurdle. Dr Nick Shearer completed...

Observed abnormalities in the full blood count are not uncommon, they may be transient and mild, often involving one cell lineage and most likely benign, or progressive involving more than one cell lineage and pointing us toward a condition requiring further investigation, possible referral and treatment. In foetal life, haemopoiesis occurs in the yolk sac and later in the liver and spleen. After...

Observed abnormalities in the full blood count are not uncommon, they may be transient and mild, often involving one cell lineage and most likely benign, or progressive involving more than one cell lineage and pointing us toward a condition requiring further investigation, possible referral and treatment. In foetal life, haemopoiesis occurs in the yolk sac and later in the liver and spleen. After...

Observed abnormalities in the full blood count are not uncommon, they may be transient and mild, often involving one cell lineage and most likely benign, or progressive involving more than one cell lineage and pointing us toward a condition requiring further investigation, possible referral and treatment. In foetal life, haemopoiesis occurs in the yolk sac and later in the liver and spleen. After...

Venous thrombosis affects more than 30,000 Australians each year and is responsible for over 5000 deaths per annum, this is more than the number of Australians who die from motor vehicle accidents annually. VTE is the third leading cause of death amongst hospitalised patients and patients admitted to hospital are at least 100 times more likely of developing a clot compared to being active in the c...

The Guillain Barre syndrome is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy and although relatively rare (0.4-2 per 100,000) it is still the most common cause of acute flaccid neuromuscular paralysis worldwide. It famously affected Joseph Heller author of Catch-22 and more recently AFL football Legend Alexander Clarkson. It is an immune-mediated disorder that affects the peripheral nervou...

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disease of the brain and spinal cord resulting in CNS demyelination affecting 2.8 million people worldwide and 23,000 Australians. There are about 1000 new cases diagnosed in Australia each year and the accumulation of disability can be devastating with an estimated 50 to 80% of patients ceasing full-time work within 10 years. The condition is...

Neuroendocrine tumours represent neoplasms of the diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNES) which is our body’s largest endocrine organ comprised of the fascinating amine precursor uptake and decarboxylase (APUD) cell series first described in the 1960s by British scientist A.G.E Pearse. These cells can produce numerous peptides and bioactive amines. Influenced by both the endocrine and nervous systems...

Neuroendocrine tumours represent neoplasms of the diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNES) which is our body’s largest endocrine organ comprised of the fascinating amine precursor uptake and decarboxylase (APUD) cell series first described in the 1960s by British scientist A.G.E Pearse. These cells can produce numerous peptides and bioactive amines. Influenced by both the endocrine and nervous systems...

Pancreatic cancer is the eighth most common cancer reported in Australia. In 2021, it is estimated that there will be 4261 new cases and 3391 deaths. The incidence has increased from 10 per 100,000 in 1982 -to 12 per 100,000 today with the average age of onset between 60 and 65 years. At the time of diagnosis, approximately one-third of patients already have advanced disease with a limited 3 to 4-...

As case numbers and deaths continue to climb from Covid 19 infection and its many variants, two antiviral drugs have entered the market and are now available on the Australian PBS with specific prescription criteria to be met. So, what are they and what do they do? Molnupiravir - Made by Merck in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics was the 1st to be introduced to Australia as a trade name...

Lymphoma is a clonal neoplastic proliferation of lymphoid cells (B cells, T cells and NK cells) and is the sixth most common malignancy reported in this country which makes it the most common hematologic malignancy with over 5000 cases diagnosed each year in Australia putting lifetime risk at 1 in 50. There are over 70 different types of lymphoma which are divided into 2 main groups: Hodgkin's lym...

Lymphoma is a clonal neoplastic proliferation of lymphoid cells (B cells, T cells and NK cells) and is the sixth most common malignancy reported in this country which makes it the most common hematologic malignancy with over 5000 cases diagnosed each year in Australia putting lifetime risk at 1 in 50. There are over 70 different types of lymphoma which are divided into 2 main groups: Hodgkin's lym...

In May this year, new cases of the rare infection - Monkey Pox - typically limited to Africa, began spreading within Europe and North America. More than 780 cases have now been reported across 15 countries with Australia recently reporting 8 cases. www1.racgp.org.au - Monkeypox exposure, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox and typically is spread through close physical contact with...

Dr John Levin practices antiaging medicine and joins this podcast to discuss his practical approach to treatment. As John laments antiaging medicine is not taught in medical school yet he believes the science of anti-ageing holds the key to significantly reducing human suffering and improving health span. Whilst the average human life span continues to increase and modern medicine more efficiently...

PCOS is the most common endocrinopathy of reproductive age women affecting about 1 in 10. Characteristically the condition presents with menstrual irregularity, excess androgens, and polycystic ovarian morphology. More common in women with a family history and type 2 diabetes the condition is associated with obesity, infertility, pregnancy complications and metabolic derangements as well as a numb...

Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus or embedded within its muscular wall. This unusual condition is known to induce a chronic inflammatory reaction that may be associated with pelvic pain and infertility. In women of reproductive age the estimated prevalence is 7 to 10% and up to one third of women undergoing laparoscopy for pelvic pain are diagnosed with endomet...

In this episode we explore investigations in rheumatology-what is helpful and what is not? A clinician faced with a patient complaining of myalgias and generalised rheumatic aches may be tempted to order a host of immunological and inflammatory tests whilst also assessing multiple other differential diagnoses that need considering. There are a host of serological tests available each with differen...

The past two decades have witnessed dramatic changes in the approach to managing rheumatologic conditions, born of a wider understanding of cellular biology, immunology, and the pathophysiology of inflammation we have consequently seen an explosion in the development and availability of both Biologic medications and small molecules for medical applications. Some of these products are designed to i...

Trillions of microbes are living in and on us, a thriving ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, archaea and fungi. Collectively these microbes form the human microbiome and this microbiome appears to play a key role in many aspects of health, crowding out harmful microbial invaders, breaking down fibrous food into digestible compounds and producing some essential vitamins such as B12 and vitamin K. New...

Breast cancer affects 1 in 7 women and remains the most diagnosed cancer in Australia with 57 new cases diagnosed each day, 1000 new cases per year and tragically 2000 deaths annually. Men are not excluded, for every 100 breast cancers one is diagnosed in a male. Genetic links for breast cancer such as the BRCA 1 and 2 genes receive significant attention but account for only 5% of total cases,75%...

Dr Natharnia Young is a leading urogynaecologist servicing South Eastern Melbourne’s suburbs and joins this conversation to discuss urinary incontinence in women, a condition associated with significant personal and social stigmatisation and affecting up to 1:2 women over the age of 70. Rates of presentation by woman seeking management for stress incontinence and urge incontinence are low, perhaps...

Dr Peter Brukner OAM is Professor of Sports Medicine at the Latrobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre and is one of Australia’s most respected and best-known specialist sports physicians with a wide breadth of knowledge of the subject. He has extensive experience, having enjoyed a stellar career with elite sports teams and Olympians over multiple decades in his professional capacity. In...

Dr Peter Brukner OAM is Professor of Sports Medicine at the Latrobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre at Latrobe University and is one of Australia’s most respected and best known specialist sports physicians. He has a deep breadth of knowledge and experience and was a founding partner at the Olympic Sports Medicine Centre in Melbourne as well as a sports physician to the Collingwood and...