In this podcast, Dr Emma Nash talks to Professor Derek Connolly about cardiovascular disease and lipid management. Measuring and interpreting lipid profiles and when to initiate treatment are discussed. Professor Connolly takes us through the various treatment options and their respective benefits, in light of the updated lipid pathway, and illustrates the benefits that they can have on cardiovascular risk, both in terms of primary and secondary prevention.

Dr Emma Nash DOI: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/bio/teacher.php?id=4205

Prof Derek Connolly DOI: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/bio/teacher.php?id=168787

To learn more about Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) please access the newly designed RCGP Inflammatory Bowel Disease Toolkit, which allows users to learn about IBD through different formats including three bite-sized NUBs - New Useful Bits, a 30 minute module and a recorded podcast. The toolkit provides tips to help those working in Primary Care suspect, investigate, and refer patients for appropriate investigations. It also summarises key information to consider when supporting patients living with IBD.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a lifelong condition which can impact on many areas of a person’s life. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Kevin Barrett discuss how we can diagnose inflammatory bowel disease at an earlier stage and make logical use of the tests available to us. They then go on to discuss the management of flares of the disease and holistic care for patients with IBD, at all stages of life. 

This podcast was funded by Crohn's & Colitis UK. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP eLearning.

In this podcast we talk to Dr David Kernick about migraine treatments and the availability of newer medications to help manage uncontrolled symptoms. Both preventative and therapeutic options are explored, in conjunction with discussion about the roles of primary and secondary care. 

In this podcast we talk to Dr David Kernick about the relationship between women's health and migraine. The effect of hormones and changes to the pattern of migraines throughout life are explored, and the relevance of migraines in the prescription of contraception and hormone replacement therapy is also discussed.

In this podcast, Dr Nicholas Jones, GP cardiologist, academic GP and Wellcome Trust Doctoral Research Fellow, discusses heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Left ventricular function in HFpEF is normal, or near normal - that is, 50% or greater - but with symptoms that we recognise as being of heart failure. He talks about recognising and diagnosing the syndrome, along with potential treatment options and emerging evidence on effective therapies for symptoms control and prognostic benefit.

Despite the apparent simplicity in the two options available, the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) and the progestogen-only pill (POP), choosing the right oral contraceptive pill can be challenging. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Sally Higginbottom, a GP in Camden with a special interest in health inequalities, the rational use of medication and women’s health on prescribing the oral contraceptive pill in primary care.

It's estimated that between one and two in every 100 people in the UK are affected by gout. It mainly affects men over 30 and women after the menopause. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Louise Warburton, a GP, Clinical Lead for Telford Musculoskeletal Service (TEMS) and Primary Care Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine Society Executive Member about the causes, diagnosis, treatment and management of gout.

Practices are well into the flu vaccination season by now, but how often do we actually stop and think about what is in the vaccinations that we give, and how we know when flu is circulating? Dr Toni Hazell talks to Professor Simon de Lusignan of the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC). They discuss the strains of flu that are in the vaccine, our expectations for uptake this year and why we have moved to a quadrivalent vaccine. Simon also talks about the work of the RSC, who are always looking for more practices to be part of their network. If you would like to enquire about joining the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre, please email [email protected]

You can view the RSC's Virology Dashboard here: https://tinyurl.com/34p2xjbb

CSL Seqirus has funded these podcasts and has been involved in discussion for the topic of this podcast. The content has been prepared independently by the RCGP without any input from CSL Seqirus. This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals and is disseminated by media determined by the RCGP.

This podcast was recorded in November 2022, reflecting guidance for the 2022/23 flu season. The general principles will still be relevant, but for exact information reflecting the latest guidance for the 2023-24 season please go to the RCGP's Influenza eLearning modules.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common problem. In England alone, approximately 835,000 people have AF. This number is rising rapidly, and prevalence is predicted to double by 2050. This reflects the rising prevalence of risk factors, such as hypertension and obesity as well as being a consequence of population ageing. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Nicholas Jones, a GP and GP cardiologist in Oxford, with an active interest in cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation about the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation.