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The metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for CVD and diabetes. This Update explores how the syndrome is defined, and how you can measure CVD risk.
Unstable angina and other acute coronary syndromes are medical emergencies. This Update tells you how to identify the condition, how it is managed, and how to reduce risks to patients.
Patients discharged from hospital are often prescribed drugs to prevent clots. This Update article tells you everything you need to know to ensure patients receive high-quality continuity of care.
This Update will help you provide information and advice to patients who may be undergoing some of the more common liver function tests.
Liver function tests are often performed as part of a battery of blood tests to detect or diagnose liver dysfunction and the extent of the condition, or as a way of monitoring disease progression or the effectiveness and safety of certain drug treatments.
Six cytochrome P450 enzymes metabolise 90 per cent of drugs, but can be influenced by a variety of factors. This Update covers how drugs, diet and genetics can affect P450 enzymes and the potential consequences.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is an often overlooked complication of diabetes. This article details the potential risks associated with the condition and the implications for pharmacists.
Many mouth lesions are benign and do not require treatment, but can alarm patients. This Update will provide an essential photoguide to six common mouth lesions that you may encounter and advise you how to manage them.
Dental problems are very common. According to the World Health Organization, oral health problems such as dental cavities affect 60-90 per cent of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. This Update covers dental problems that patients may present with in pharmacies, including causes, diagnosis and treatment.
The management of eczema involves the early identification and avoidance of triggers and the implementation of a stepped-care approach to treatment, as recommended by Nice. This means increasing treatment when the condition is severe and reducing it when a flare is controlled.
Eczema is the most common skin condition in the UK. Although it is most common in children, it can present in adults and has a wide range of causes. This article looks at the types of eczema and their presentation.
The second article in this guide looks at the treatment of hypo- and hyperthyroidism, the public health issues raised by low dietary iodine, and common questions patients may raise. This CPD article, with part one of the guide, will help inform discussions you may have with patients who have thyroid problems.
The first part of this guide looks at the thyroid gland, and the causes and diagnosis of hyper and hypothyroidism.
This CPD article will help inform discussions you may have with patients who have thyroid problems.
Sore throats typically occur two to three times a year in adults. This Update looks at the causes of sore throats and treatments, as well as when pharmacists should refer for further investigation.
Cystitis is an inflamation of the bladder, but can descibe irritation of the urinary tract. This Update article describes the causes, presentation and management of this condition.
Treatment for leukaemia can include a wide range of drugs with a variety of side effects.
It could also involve chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as bone marrow and stem cell transplantation or monoclonal antibodies.
This module discusses when each treatment is considered, and how to manage possible side effects.
Leukaemia accounts for 4,000 deaths in the UK each year. While it is the most common form of childhood cancer, more than 90 per cent of patients are adults. This Update details the risk factors and signs and symptoms of this potentially fatal condition.
This article covers how lithium is used in primary care. It includes common side effects, monitoring requirements, interactions and lifestyle advice for this difficult and little-understood treatment.
Patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease require medical management of their condition, and often surgery. This Update looks at drugs used in treatment, their comparative effectiveness and place in therapy, and surgical options that may be considered.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that covers ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. This CPD article outlines the progression, pathology and complications of these chronic, progressive diseases, and discusses how they present and are diagnosed.
The second article in our multiple sclerosis series, which can be used for your CPD, looks at the types, effectiveness and protocols of the different treatments
The cause of m
ultiple sclerosis
is not known, but it may be an autoimmune disorder triggered by environmental factors. This CPD article offers a guide to the three types and diagnosis of this potentially devastating disease
How pharmacists can convince patients they need to take their medicine? This CPD article will help you develop skills to improve medicines adherence by working with patients. It will cover the reasons for non-adherence, and coaching techniques to improve concordance
.
The Department of Health and the World Health Organization recommend that all babies are breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, and alongside complementary foods for up to two years. Use this article as CPD to enable you to answer questions from mothers and give advice on any problems that may occur.
A range of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) is available. However, ONS
cannot be treated as simple foodstuffs, as they can affect the pharmacology of drug treatments and there may be interactions. Patients who do not require their ONS or dislike the flavours prescribed may stockpile the products, and alternatives may be indicated.
The final part of our series looks at drug treatment plans in the management of dementia. This CPD article will help inform discussions you may have with patients with confirmed or suspected dementia and their carers about the management of their condition, coping with the disease, and drug treatment.
Find out the latest thinking on dementia, from who is at risk to how a diagnosis is made, in the first instalment of our essential two-part guide to dementia. This CPD article will help inform discussions you may have with patients with confirmed or who have or suspect they may have dementia and their carers.
Part two of the Update series on end of life care, which can be used for your CPD, considers common end of life symptoms such as constipation, cachexia and breathlessness.
The second Update on rheumatoid arthritis discusses how treatment not only involves pain control but also aims to limit joint damage. However, the agents used have a host of potential problems, so use this article as CPD to remind yourself of the care patients might need.
The first of two articles on rheumatoid arthritis describes the defining signs of RA, and how the disease progresses. This CPD article should help you understand more about this destructive disease.
This CPD article will help if you ever need to discuss childbirth with a mother-to-be, and explains what might happen if labour does not go according to plan.
Phenytoin, lithium and digoxin are prime candidates for TDM. This article, which can be used for your CPD, explains why and suggests questions pharmacists might ask patients to determine whether their treatmentneeds monitoring.
In the second in our blood tests series, Russell Greene explains the significant changes in blood parameters that occur in seven common clinical areas.
Russell Greene explains how to
use blood test results to support disease management.
This article, which could be used as CPD, will help you understand the rationale behind blood investigations.
This article discusses problems associated with drugs used in type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, anaemia and heart failure. It could be helpful in your CPD, particularly if you do MURs.
Are you aware of the main hazards of the last few weeks of pregnancy? This article can be used as part of your CPD to help women cope with common ailments.
Therapeutic drug monitoring helps to give patients the maximum therapeutic benefit and minimal unwanted effects from medication. This article, which can form part of your CPD, explains when TDM may be essential.
Evidence is growing that certain foods might cause or protect against cancer. On next week’s Fruity Friday (May 14), the cancer charity World Cancer Research Fund aims to encourage people to eat more fruit and veg. This article, which can be used for your CPD, gives evidence-based reasons to enforce the healthy diet message.
This week's article offers a guide to the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of this ischaemic heart disease and can be used as part of your CPD.
This article shows how to establish patients on the most suitable treatment package and help them adhere to long-term management plans. Use it as part of your CPD.
New understanding of chronic heart failure (CHF) has led to significant changes in the approach to treatment. This article explains recent thinking and also looks at symptoms and diagnosis. It can be used as part of your CPD.
Motor neurone disease is a cruel condition; life expectancy is generally two to five years, and patients can die within six months of MND symptoms appearing. There is no cure. This article, which can form part of your CPD, describes what can be done to manage symptoms.
The second of three articles describing the baby’s development and physiological changes in the mother will help pharmacists answer questions from prospective parents.
Anticoagulation is frequently encountered in community pharmacy as there are several indications for its use. One key indication is for stroke prevention in those at risk of embolism from atrial fibrillation (AF), and this is the main focus of this article.
This article, which can be used as part of your CPD, looks at the symptoms and treatment of abnormal heartbeats. It describes the different types of arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia. It also discusses drug treatment, with information about the use of digoxin, beta-blockers, amiodarone and calcium channel blockers.
Do you know how a baby develops in early pregnancy and what advice you might give a pregnant woman? The first in a series of three articles describes development and physiological changes in the first stage of pregnancy and also reviews what the pharmacist might need to check.
Tamsulosin has recently been reclassified from POM to P for the treatment of Benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms in men aged 45 to 75 years. This article, which can contribute to your CPD, explains the current management of this condition and the potential role of the new non-prescription medicine.
The final article in this month's respiratory health series looks at your role in supporting patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and outlines the goals of disease management.
February's Update articles focus on respiratory disease. The series starts with a guide to the ingredients in OTC medicines used in the treatment of minor coughs
Asha Fowells offers best practice guidelines on which hypnotics are best for insomnia and for how long they should be taken. This module includes a case study.
Two case studies highlight the issues to consider when reviewing medication for a stroke patient who has osteoporosis and another patient who has thyroid problems, anxiety and itchy skin. How do you advise them?
This article explores the concept of drug addiction, explains what to do if confronted by a suspicious request for an OTC medicine and provides information on commonly misused drugs.
Which ADRs could lead to respiratory or cardiovascular symptoms? This Update article flags up what to look out for and how to manage possible side effects.
The second of two articles on breast cancer looks at treatments to manage the disease, including surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and biological agents.
With women facing a one in nine lifetime risk for this disease, this Update article examines the risk factors, available screening techniques and diagnosis.
In the first of a series of two two articles on pharmacokinetics, Dr Russell Greene considers the factors that affect the absorption and distribution of drugs.
It is estimated that up to three per cent of the population suffers from psoriasis. This article describes the different types of the chronic skin disease and how they are treated.
Update’s Heart Health Month concludes with an overview of treatments that might be prescribed to a patient after an NHS Health Check has identified high cholesterol levels.
After looking at lifestyle factors behind CVD and vascular risk assessments, this article considers the drugs that might be prescribed after an NHS Health Check.
Our four-part guide to heart disease continues with risk assessment and the NHS Health Check screening programme. This article looks at what is to be tested and what advice you should provide.
C+D's Heart Health Month kicks off with a look at the factors that can lead to cardiovascular disease to help you explain to patients the damage caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.
With all the talk of obesity it's easy to forget the other problems people have with food. Asha Fowells describes the three offical categories of eating disorders.
The first of a two-part guide, which provides an overview of this common genetic disorder, the prognosis for a child with CF and some of the likely health problems.
This module consists of two case studies. Case 1: How do you treat a patient with OA and worsening asthma? Case 2: How do you treat a patient with RA suffering weight loss?
Diagnoses rarely indicate only one possible treatment. Dr Russell Greene MRPharmS explains the factors to consider when making prescribing decisions, from drug issues to patient response.
Food intolerance and allergy are often difficult to understand, so what advice can the pharmacist give - and who should be signposted to a GP or dietician?
The majority of patients with gallstones remain asymptomatic but for some it can be very painful. This update article covers symptoms and diagnosis as well as treatment and advice.
Symptoms affecting the GI tract are commonly presented to community pharmacists but how can you determine whether it is an ADR, and what treatment can you offer to help?
Alan Nathan looks at hormonal contraceptive issues pharmacists need to consider, particularly if the pill becomes universally available off prescription.
In the first of two articles on the immune system, we look at protection against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, and how the immune system can go wrong and cause disease.
Learn about the risk factors, monitoring and treatments for osteoporosis to help your patients make the most of the drugs used to maintain bone strength.
New treatments can bring advantages in diabetes management compared with established blood glucose lowering drugs, but there are also side effects and complications to consider.
Christmas can be a bad time for gout sufferers. This article covers the symptoms and causes, explains who is at risk and also looks at the tests, treatments and lifestyle changes.
Professional standards are constantly being raised and changed. In the third in a series on professionalism, Joy Wingfield shows that much more is now expected of pharmacists.
As the festive season approaches, we look at the long term effects of drinking and different types of alcohol abuse. Read the article or download the podcast.
This article covers the drugs available for treatment, the types of seizures they can treat and side effects, as well as advice on the pharmacist's role in epilepsy management.
Asha Fowells outlines how to distinguish between and treat six common childhood infections: measles, chickenpox, rubella, mumps, whooping cough and meningitis
From moral issues to religious objections, this article covers everything you need to know about when you can and can't supply emergency hormonal contraception.
Oral diclofenac and naproxen are now available OTC from pharmacies, but do you know how OTC NSAIDs compare against each other in terms of effectiveness?
Survival rates are excellent after transplants, but immunosuppression is not without risk. Caroline Ashley examines issues surrounding doses, side effects and interactions.
Low mood, confusion and dry skin can all be symptoms of old age, but they can also indicate hypothyroidism. Mary Allen highlights the problems of diagnosis and shows how an MUR can help.
This article covers the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of three pituitary conditions – growth hormone (GH) deficiency, acromegaly and diabetes insipidus.
In the final article in this series on psychiatric medicines, Stuart Gill-Banham explains at what stage anxiety is considered a disease and the methods used to treat it.
The fourth part in our series on mental health looks at the four most common types of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and the drugs used in its management.
With summer on the way, C+D looks at OTC treatments for bites and stings from common insects and jellyfish, as well as possible future methods of drug delivery through the skin.
The first in a series of articles on recognising symptoms of depression and outlining how the condition is managed with both drug and non-drug treatment.
The drug treatment of some less common arthritic diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis.
Pharmacy Support is Teva's new programme intended to provide pharmacists with innovative and practical solutions to some of the challenges faced within modern pharmacy practice. Sponsoring C+D's CPD Update for 2011 is part of this programme and one of the new ways Teva is providing support to pharmacists.
The metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for CVD and diabetes. This Update explores how the syndrome is defined, and how you can measure CVD risk. 
Unstable angina and other acute coronary syndromes are medical emergencies. This Update tells you how to identify the condition, how it is managed, and how to reduce risks to patients. 
Patients discharged from hospital are often prescribed drugs to prevent clots. This Update article tells you everything you need to know to ensure patients receive high-quality continuity of care.
This Update will help you provide information and advice to patients who may be undergoing some of the more common liver function tests.
Liver function tests are often performed as part of a battery of blood tests to detect or diagnose liver dysfunction and the extent of the condition, or as a way of monitoring disease progression or the effectiveness and safety of certain drug treatments.
Six cytochrome P450 enzymes metabolise 90 per cent of drugs, but can be influenced by a variety of factors. This Update covers how drugs, diet and genetics can affect P450 enzymes and the potential consequences.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is an often overlooked complication of diabetes. This article details the potential risks associated with the condition and the implications for pharmacists.
Ranging from simple wax build-up to painful infections, ear problems represent a collection of common - yet easily treated - conditions. 
Many mouth lesions are benign and do not require treatment, but can alarm patients. This Update will provide an essential photoguide to six common mouth lesions that you may encounter and advise you how to manage them.
Dental problems are very common. According to the World Health Organization, oral health problems such as dental cavities affect 60-90 per cent of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. This Update covers dental problems that patients may present with in pharmacies, including causes, diagnosis and treatment.
The management of eczema involves the early identification and avoidance of triggers and the implementation of a stepped-care approach to treatment, as recommended by Nice. This means increasing treatment when the condition is severe and reducing it when a flare is controlled.
Sore throats typically occur two to three times a year in adults. This Update looks at the causes of sore throats and treatments, as well as when pharmacists should refer for further investigation.
Cystitis is an inflamation of the bladder, but can descibe irritation of the urinary tract. This Update article describes the causes, presentation and management of this condition.
Treatment for leukaemia can include a wide range of drugs with a variety of side effects.
It could also involve chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as bone marrow and stem cell transplantation or monoclonal antibodies.
This module discusses when each treatment is considered, and how to manage possible side effects.
Leukaemia accounts for 4,000 deaths in the UK each year. While it is the most common form of childhood cancer, more than 90 per cent of patients are adults. This Update details the risk factors and signs and symptoms of this potentially fatal condition.
This article covers how lithium is used in primary care. It includes common side effects, monitoring requirements, interactions and lifestyle advice for this difficult and little-understood treatment.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that covers ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. This CPD article outlines the progression, pathology and complications of these chronic, progressive diseases, and discusses how they present and are diagnosed.
The cause of m
ultiple sclerosis
is not known, but it may be an autoimmune disorder triggered by environmental factors. This CPD article offers a guide to the three types and diagnosis of this potentially devastating disease
How pharmacists can convince patients they need to take their medicine? This CPD article will help you develop skills to improve medicines adherence by working with patients. It will cover the reasons for non-adherence, and coaching techniques to improve concordance
.
The Department of Health and the World Health Organization recommend that all babies are breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, and alongside complementary foods for up to two years. Use this article as CPD to enable you to answer questions from mothers and give advice on any problems that may occur.
A range of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) is available. However, ONS
cannot be treated as simple foodstuffs, as they can affect the pharmacology of drug treatments and there may be interactions. Patients who do not require their ONS or dislike the flavours prescribed may stockpile the products, and alternatives may be indicated.
The final part of our series looks at drug treatment plans in the management of dementia. This CPD article will help inform discussions you may have with patients with confirmed or suspected dementia and their carers about the management of their condition, coping with the disease, and drug treatment. 
Find out the latest thinking on dementia, from who is at risk to how a diagnosis is made, in the first instalment of our essential two-part guide to dementia. This CPD article will help inform discussions you may have with patients with confirmed or who have or suspect they may have dementia and their carers.
The third article on TDM explains the purpose of TDM in transplant patients and autoimmune disease, HIV infection, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis
Part two of the Update series on end of life care, which can be used for your CPD, considers common end of life symptoms such as constipation, cachexia and breathlessness.
The second Update on rheumatoid arthritis discusses how treatment not only involves pain control but also aims to limit joint damage. However, the agents used have a host of potential problems, so use this article as CPD to remind yourself of the care patients might need.
The first of two articles on rheumatoid arthritis describes the defining signs of RA, and how the disease progresses. This CPD article should help you understand more about this destructive disease.
This CPD article will help if you ever need to discuss childbirth with a mother-to-be, and explains what might happen if labour does not go according to plan.
Phenytoin, lithium and digoxin are prime candidates for TDM. This article, which can be used for your CPD, explains why and suggests questions pharmacists might ask patients to determine whether their treatmentneeds monitoring.
In the second in our blood tests series, Russell Greene explains the significant changes in blood parameters that occur in seven common clinical areas.
Russell Greene explains how to
use blood test results to support disease management.
This article, which could be used as CPD, will help you understand the rationale behind blood investigations.
This article discusses problems associated with drugs used in type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, anaemia and heart failure. It could be helpful in your CPD, particularly if you do MURs.
Are you aware of the main hazards of the last few weeks of pregnancy? This article can be used as part of your CPD to help women cope with common ailments.
Therapeutic drug monitoring helps to give patients the maximum therapeutic benefit and minimal unwanted effects from medication. This article, which can form part of your CPD, explains when TDM may be essential.
Evidence is growing that certain foods might cause or protect against cancer. On next week’s Fruity Friday (May 14), the cancer charity World Cancer Research Fund aims to encourage people to eat more fruit and veg. This article, which can be used for your CPD, gives evidence-based reasons to enforce the healthy diet message.
This week's article offers a guide to the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of this ischaemic heart disease and can be used as part of your CPD.
This article shows how to establish patients on the most suitable treatment package and help them adhere to long-term management plans. Use it as part of your CPD. 
New understanding of chronic heart failure (CHF) has led to significant changes in the approach to treatment. This article explains recent thinking and also looks at symptoms and diagnosis. It can be used as part of your CPD.
Motor neurone disease is a cruel condition; life expectancy is generally two to five years, and patients can die within six months of MND symptoms appearing. There is no cure. This article, which can form part of your CPD, describes what can be done to manage symptoms.
The second of three articles describing the baby’s development and physiological changes in the mother will help pharmacists answer questions from prospective parents.
Anticoagulation is frequently encountered in community pharmacy as there are several indications for its use. One key indication is for stroke prevention in those at risk of embolism from atrial fibrillation (AF), and this is the main focus of this article. 
Do you know how a baby develops in early pregnancy and what advice you might give a pregnant woman? The first in a series of three articles describes development and physiological changes in the first stage of pregnancy and also reviews what the pharmacist might need to check.
Tamsulosin has recently been reclassified from POM to P for the treatment of Benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms in men aged 45 to 75 years. This article, which can contribute to your CPD, explains the current management of this condition and the potential role of the new non-prescription medicine.
The final article in this month's respiratory health series looks at your role in supporting patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and outlines the goals of disease management.
February’s Update articles on respiratory disease continues with articles on the signs, symptoms and diagnostic tests for asthma and COPD
February's Update articles focus on respiratory disease. The series starts with a guide to the ingredients in OTC medicines used in the treatment of minor coughs
Asha Fowells offers best practice guidelines on which hypnotics are best for insomnia and for how long they should be taken. This module includes a case study.
The second of two articles from Julia Williams is about choosing the right appliance and dealing with lifestyle issues
With around 850,000 people affected by food poisoning in the UK every year, this article looks at the causes and treatment options
Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods remain a minority choice despite a Nice recommendation, says Asha Fowells.
The rationale behind drug treatment for Parkinson's disease, one of the most common chronic neurological diseases 
The pathology and clinical features associated with Parkinson's disease, one of the most common chronic neurological disease
The second article in this series looks at how to ensure prescriptions for treating substance abuse are legal
It is normal for vaginal discharge to change throughout the menstrual cycle, but what signs would be considered abnormal?
The second article in this series looks at drugs that act within the central nervous system
The second part of the series on drug misuse looks at addiction management strategies
The second of two articles looks at the metabolism and excretion of medicines
This article describes the treatments available for managing osteoarthritis, from oral and topical analgesics to supplements and exercise.
In the first of two articles, Update looks at the risk factors, signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, the most common cause of disability in the UK.
Which ADRs could lead to respiratory or cardiovascular symptoms? This Update article flags up what to look out for and how to manage possible side effects.
The second of two articles on breast cancer looks at treatments to manage the disease, including surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and biological agents.
Everything you need to know about opioid therapy - from starting doses to switching between brands.
In the first of a series of two two articles on pharmacokinetics, Dr Russell Greene considers the factors that affect the absorption and distribution of drugs.
It is estimated that up to three per cent of the population suffers from psoriasis. This article describes the different types of the chronic skin disease and how they are treated.
Update’s Heart Health Month concludes with an overview of treatments that might be prescribed to a patient after an NHS Health Check has identified high cholesterol levels.
With all the talk of obesity it's easy to forget the other problems people have with food. Asha Fowells describes the three offical categories of eating disorders.
Learn how to differentiate normal skin complaints from those caused by medicines, and find out which drugs cause the most common reactions.
Part two of our series on cystic fibrosis looks at controlling symptoms, limiting damage to lungs and other organs, and achieving normal nutrition.
The first of a two-part guide, which provides an overview of this common genetic disorder, the prognosis for a child with CF and some of the likely health problems.
This module consists of two case studies. Case 1: How do you treat a patient with OA and worsening asthma? Case 2: How do you treat a patient with RA suffering weight loss?
A number of POMs can cause pain as a side effect. This guide looks at the mechanisms of their action and how best this can be managed.
Diagnoses rarely indicate only one possible treatment. Dr Russell Greene MRPharmS explains the factors to consider when making prescribing decisions, from drug issues to patient response.
Food intolerance and allergy are often difficult to understand, so what advice can the pharmacist give - and who should be signposted to a GP or dietician?
This article looks at obesity and how it is measured, plus the drugs available on prescription and OTC.
In the second of two articles on prostate cancer, we look at treatments, including prostatectomy, radiotherapy and drug treatment.
In the first of two articles, Update looks at the pathology and diagnosis of prostate cancer - the most common cancer to affect men in the UK.
Symptoms and treatment of the five most common sexually transmitted diseases: chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts, genital herpes and syphilis.
Symptoms affecting the GI tract are commonly presented to community pharmacists but how can you determine whether it is an ADR, and what treatment can you offer to help?
A pharmacist's guide to herpes labialis, covering the cause of infection, symptoms and how treatments work.
In this article we look at how cancer cells are produced and how they are targeted by various treatments, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Which drugs are most likely to cause falls in elderly patients and why? What can pharmacists do to help? Find out in this Update module.
What are the causes of allergic reactions at home and in the workplace? What treatments and advice should you give to patients?
Alan Nathan looks at hormonal contraceptive issues pharmacists need to consider, particularly if the pill becomes universally available off prescription.
In the first in a series on how to spot adverse drug reactions, Professor Janet Krska concentrates on the importance of reporting.
The second part of our series on the immune system looks at the drugs used to enhance immunity and those used to suppress immune reactions.
New treatments can bring advantages in diabetes management compared with established blood glucose lowering drugs, but there are also side effects and complications to consider.
Christmas can be a bad time for gout sufferers. This article covers the symptoms and causes, explains who is at risk and also looks at the tests, treatments and lifestyle changes.
As the festive season approaches, we look at the long term effects of drinking and different types of alcohol abuse. Read the article or download the podcast.
This article covers the drugs available for treatment, the types of seizures they can treat and side effects, as well as advice on the pharmacist's role in epilepsy management.
In the first of two articles on epilepsy, Jennifer Richardson describes the incidence, diagnosis and types of seizure.
Asha Fowells outlines how to distinguish between and treat six common childhood infections: measles, chickenpox, rubella, mumps, whooping cough and meningitis
From abdominal pain to gestational diabetes, Paul Rutter looks at how to treat the 20 conditions most often seen in pregnant women.
November heralds a miserable few months for some. But how can you distinguish depressive symptoms from winter blues, and what should you recommend?
From moral issues to religious objections, this article covers everything you need to know about when you can and can't supply emergency hormonal contraception.
Oral diclofenac and naproxen are now available OTC from pharmacies, but do you know how OTC NSAIDs compare against each other in terms of effectiveness?
Survival rates are excellent after transplants, but immunosuppression is not without risk. Caroline Ashley examines issues surrounding doses, side effects and interactions.
Low mood, confusion and dry skin can all be symptoms of old age, but they can also indicate hypothyroidism. Mary Allen highlights the problems of diagnosis and shows how an MUR can help.
New methods of diagnosis mean you could be seeing more patients with coeliac disease. Find out more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. 
This article covers the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of three pituitary conditions – growth hormone (GH) deficiency, acromegaly and diabetes insipidus.
Joy Wingfield discusses the ethical issues around repeat dispensing and working with professionals whose decisions might be at fault.
Ten years after the launch of Pfizer's Viagra, Mark Greener looks at treatments for erectile dysfunction.
Rob Finch reports on the current thinking on the management of a highly infectious disease
Alan Nathan describes OTC treatment of the most common of all headache symptoms that patients are likely to present with at a pharmacy.
With the Olympics in full swing, this article explains the controversies and which medicines are legitimate.
Alison Milne looks at the effects of hormones secreted by the pituitary gland and two of their disorders
Counterprescribing for common scalp conditions that pharmacists are likely to encounter.
Can you identify and differentiate common scalp problems? Dr Nigel Stollery provides an overview in this picture guide.
In the final article in this series on psychiatric medicines, Stuart Gill-Banham explains at what stage anxiety is considered a disease and the methods used to treat it.
The latest in a series of picture guides by Dr Nigel Stollery considers skin and eye conditions that are likely to affect elderly patients.
This article lists five of the most commonly requested blood tests in primary care, and what they mean for patients.
The fourth part in our series on mental health looks at the four most common types of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and the drugs used in its management.
Zoe Smeaton looks at the incidence, causes and management of childhood obesity and describes a scheme set up to help.
Emma Wilkinson asks how the expected change in the UK's climate will impact on the nation's health.
Update your knowledge of the drugs used in bipolar disorder, their precautions and how they should be monitored.
With summer on the way, C+D looks at OTC treatments for bites and stings from common insects and jellyfish, as well as possible future methods of drug delivery through the skin.
An overview of vaccinations that might be recommended to travellers planning overseas trips.
Jill Peaston looks at some common sports injuries, with advice on treatment and prevention
Gavin Atkin explores the incidence and types of urinary incontinence, and management of the condition.
The prescribing of drugs used in palliative care, and particularly the use of PRN medication.
Sarah Cockbill looks at the main types of chronic wounds, their causes, and the principles of healing
The latest article in the Pharmacy Update series considers the causes, symptoms and OTC management of indigestion.
Effective treatment and patient compliance means a glaucoma diagnosis doesn’t always equal sight loss
Alan Nathan looks at the insomnia's features, and its pharmacological and non-drug treatments.
A picture guide to some common nail problems and their treatment.
This article looks at common viral diseases, their causes and the treatments available
The first in a series of articles on recognising symptoms of depression and outlining how the condition is managed with both drug and non-drug treatment.
This week's article presents a picture guide to the appearance of some common and less common foot conditions.
This Update article looks at the signs, symptoms and non-prescription treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.
The drug treatment of some less common arthritic diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis.
