Episode 38. Hypertension with Dr Minz Che
Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey data about one in three people over the age of 18 living in Australia have hypertension or were taking blood pressure lowering medications. A staggering number requiring therapy for a condition which impacts on cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure and mortality.
Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey data about one in three people over the age of 18 living in Australia have hypertension or were taking blood pressure lowering medications. A staggering number requiring therapy for a condition which impacts on cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure and mortality.
The National Heart Foundation guidelines are available for careful perusal, but to walk us through an intelligent approach to management of systemic hypertension we are joined by expert general physician Dr Minz Cheah who will discuss:
· Blood pressure targets
· Primary prevention
· Choice of hypotensive agent
This was an interesting conversation with Minz on a very important subject and I am happy to bring the episode to you.
Useful references include:
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive hea
Episode 36. Why We Get Fat with Professor Joseph Proietto
Up to two thirds of Australians are either overweight or obese as defined by body mass index (overweight: BMI 25-29.9, obese: BMI >30) with subsequent significant medical consequences including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease (metabolic syndrome), osteoarthritis and depression. Becoming overweight and obese involves complex interactions between neurohormonal systems of the gut, neurobiology of the brain (particularly the hypothalamus) and leptin production from adipose sites coupled with an environment where there is an abundance of high glycaemic energy dense foods. Science demonstrates that the overarching controls of obesity are genetic (70%) rather than environmental (30%). Adoption studies relating to monozygotic twins demonstrate this. In view of the metabolic consequences of obesity, understanding why we get fat is extremely important to medical practitioners.
Up to two thirds of Australians are either overweight or obese as defined by body mass index (overweight: BMI 25-29.9, obese: BMI >30) with subsequent significant medical consequences including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease (metabolic syndrome), osteoarthritis and depression. Becoming overweight and obese involves complex interactions between neurohormonal systems of the gut, neurobiology of the brain (particularly the hypothalamus) and leptin production from adipose sites coupled with an environment where there is an abundance of high glycaemic energy dense foods. Science demonstrates that the overarching controls of obesity are genetic (70%) rather than environmental (30%). Adoption studies relating to monozygotic twins demonstrate this. In view of the metabolic consequences of obesity, understanding why we get fat is extremely important to medical practitioners.
We are privileged to have a conversation in this podcast with Joseph Proietto, Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne in the Department of Medicine at Austin Health and an Endocrinologist who specialises in diabetes and obesity. Professor Proietto established the first Obesity Clinic in Victoria at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and is the head of Weight Control Clinic at Austin Health. He was the inaugural Sir Edward Dunlop medical research foundation Professor of Medicine and head of the Metabolic Disorders Research Group in the Department of Medicine, Austin Health, Joseph is on the executive of World Obesity and Chair of the Clinical Care Committee.
In this conversation he discusses:
· Why we become fat
· The role of genetic and epigenetic factors
· Some of the important hormones controlling satiety and hunger
Please enjoy this very interesting and informative conversation with Professor Joe Proietto.
Useful references include:
- www.darebinweightlosssurgery.com.au
- vermontsouthmedicalcentre.com.au
- Body Weight Regulation – Essential Knowledge to Lose Weight and Keep It Off by Joseph Proietto. ISBN 9781514497005. Published 12 August 2016, Publisher Xlibris.
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.
Episode 35. The spleen and postsplenectomy syndrome with Dr Mohammed Al Souffi
The spleen performs a large number of important functions including processing and removal of opsonized pathogens, cellular maintenance, immunoglobulin production and the removal of effete worn out red blood cell. When removed either through trauma or for therapeutic indications the risk of overwhelming post splenectomy infection (OPSI) increases significantly; up to 58 times the general population in the setting of trauma and up to 1,100 times increased risk when for thalassaemia.
The spleen performs a large number of important functions including processing and removal of opsonized pathogens, cellular maintenance, immunoglobulin production and the removal of effete worn out red blood cell. When removed either through trauma or for therapeutic indications the risk of overwhelming post splenectomy infection (OPSI) increases significantly; up to 58 times the general population in the setting of trauma and up to 1,100 times increased risk when for thalassaemia.
The risk of OPSI is particularly high in the first 2-5 years for capsulated bacteria such as Strep pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis. To discuss the functions of the spleen and post splenectomy syndrome in more detail we are joined by expert and very affable general physician Dr Mohammed Al-Souffi, formally trained in Iraq and the United Kingdom before “walking free” to Victoria, where we are very fortunate to welcome him as a colleague and member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. Mohammed joins us to talk about:
· Functions of the spleen
· OPSI
· Appropriate vaccination post splenectomy
· Management of thrombocytosis
· Spleen registry
I am most grateful to have Mohammed as part of this podcast series. I do hope you can join me in this conversation.
Useful references include:
Spleen.org.au
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.