Clinical Articles

Initial diagnosis and assessment of COPD

Dr Scott Claxton·
COPD is a common lung disease responsible for significant disability. It is a common cause of hospitalisation and death. In Australia it is under diagnosed and often over or even undertreated. Primarily a lung disease, it has extrapulmonary manifestations and is frequently associated with respiratory and non-respiratory comorbidities all of which can influence symptoms and outcomes. Read More...
Clinical Articles
·3 mins read·

Modern allergy testing

Dr Matthew Krummenacher·
Accurate diagnosis of allergy requires careful clinical assessment and demonstration of allergen sensitisation, defined as presence of IgE antibodies targeting allergen components (antigens). The main methods used to establish sensitisation are skin prick testing (SPT) and serological testing. SPT is generally only performed by specialist allergists/immunologists, but serological testing can be requested by all clinicians. Read More...
Clinical Articles
·3 mins read·

Vascular birthmarks: when to refer

Dr Rachael Foster·
Broadly speaking, a birthmark is present from birth, and vascular birthmarks are either red, blue, or occasionally skin coloured, depending on the type of vessels involved and their location in the skin. The ISSVA classification system for vascular anomalies divides into tumours and malformations. Read More...
Clinical Articles
·4 mins read·