Volume 13, Number 4

Padmaja Lokireddy MBBS MD (Internal Medicine) MRCP(UK) Registrar, Leicester Royal Infirmary; Peter Rose FRCP FRCPath Consultant Haematologist; Anton Borg MD FRCP FRCPath Consultant Haematologist, Warwick General Hospital

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic, progressive disease that causes increased pulmonary vascular resistance that ultimately leads to right-heart failure and premature death. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is thought to result from single or recurrent thromboemboli arising from sites of venous thrombosis.

Peter Rose, Editor

Infection with enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) remains the most common cause of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in the UK. HUS is characterised by a microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and renal failure. It represents the most common cause of acute renal failure in childhood and continues to make national headlines as new outbreaks occur. The most prevalent form in the UK is that induced by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E coli) serotype 0157:H7.

Lynda Bonner RGN Clinical Nurse Specialist, King’s College Hospital, London

A variety of mechanical thromboprophylactic treatment modalities are available to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including anti-embolism stockings (AESs), intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC), footpumps, electrical stimulation devices and mobilisation/exercise. Using these appropriately, safely and effectively involves a process of selection, implementation and education.

Chris Gardiner PhD MSc FIBMS Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oxford

Pre-eclampsia is a relatively common disorder, affecting about 5% of pregnancies, and is characterised by hypertension, proteinuria and inflammation. Pre-eclampsia may be thought of as an excessive maternal inflammatory response to pregnancy, the root cause of which is considered to be placental oxidative stress secondary to abnormal placentation.

David A Fitzmaurice MD FRCGP Professor of Primary Care, Primary Care Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham

The Framingham Heart Study has identified atrial fibrillation (AF) as an independent risk factor for cerebrovascular accidents, even in the absence of mitral valve disease. The relative risk for stroke associated with AF must be of primary consideration, given that oral anticoagulation carries its own risks. The Whitehall study and the British Heart study also found that an increased risk of stroke was associated with AF; however, the relative risks differed somewhat, as did the underlying rate of stroke within the control population.