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    Frenotomy for tongue-tie in Australian children, 2006–2016: an increasing problem

    Vishal Kapoor, Pamela S Douglas, Peter S Hill, Laurence J Walsh and Marc Tennant
    Med J Aust 2018; 208 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00438
    Published online: 5 February 2018

    There is no universally accepted definition of tongue-tie or ankyloglossia, but it may be described as a congenital abnormality of the lingual frenulum that limits the range of movement of the tongue, interfering with feeding or speech.1,2 There is little consensus among health professionals about how tongue-ties should be managed,1 and little reliable evidence for the benefits of frenotomy.2 A range of techniques are employed to treat clinically significant ties surgically (frenotomy or frenectomy), including scissors and laser surgery. Increases in the number of tongue-tie diagnoses and in lingual frenotomy rates have recently been reported in Canada and the United States.3,4

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    • 1 University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD
    • 2 Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
    • 3 The Possums Clinic, Brisbane, QLD
    • 4 International Research Collaborative — Oral Health and Equity, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA


    Competing interests:

    No relevant disclosures.

    • 1. Power R, Murphy J. Tongue-tie and frenotomy in infants with breastfeeding difficulties: achieving a balance. Arch Dis Child 2015; 100: 489-494.
    • 2. O’Shea JE, Foster JP, O’Donnell CPF, et al. Frenotomy for tongue-tie in newborn infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; (3): CD011065.
    • 3. Walsh J, Links A, Boss E, Tunkel D. Ankyloglossia and lingual frenotomy: national trends in inpatient diagnosis and management in the United States, 1997–2012. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2017; 156: 735-740.
    • 4. Joseph KS, Kinniburg B, Metcalfe A, et al. Temporal trends in ankyloglossia and frenotomy in British Columbia, Canada, 2004–2013: a population-based study. CMAJ Open 2016; 4: e33-e40.
    • 5. Douglas PS. Rethinking “posterior” tongue-tie. Breastfeed Med 2013; 8: 503-506.
    • 6. Australian Bureau of Statistics [website]. 3101.0-Australian Demographic Statistics, Sept 2016. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3101.0Sep%202016?OpenDocument (viewed June 2017).

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      Standard deviation and standard error: interpretation, usage and reporting

      Petra Macaskill
      Med J Aust 2018; 208 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00633
      Published online: 5 February 2018

      Standard deviations (SDs) and standard errors are reported routinely in statistical analyses, but the distinction between them is not always well understood.1,2 Incorrect and also unclear reporting of results adds to the potential for confusion and misinterpretation of these measures.3,4


      • University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW


      Series Editors

      John Attia

      Michael Jones

      Competing interests:

      No relevant disclosures.

      • 1. Altman DG, Bland JM. Standard deviations and standard errors. BMJ 2005; 331: 903.
      • 2. Biau DJ. In brief: standard deviation and standard error. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2011; 469: 2661-2664.
      • 3. Nagele P. Misuse of standard error of the mean (SEM) when reporting variability of a sample. A critical evaluation of four anaesthesia journals. Br J Anaesth 2003; 90: 514-516.
      • 4. Wullschleger M, Aghlmandi S, Egger M, Zwahlen M. High incorrect use of the standard error of the mean (SEM) in original articles in three cardiovascular journals evaluated for 2012. PLoS One 2014; 9: 1-4.
      • 5. Chapman AB, Schwartz GL, Boerwinkle E, Turner ST. Predictors of antihypertensive response to a standard dose of hydrochlorothiazide for essential hypertension. Kidney Int 2002; 61: 1047-1055.
      • 6. Carlin JB, Doyle LW. Basic concepts of statistical reasoning: standard errors and confidence intervals. J Paediatr Child Health 2000; 36: 502-505.
      • 7. Carlin JB, Doyle LW. Basic concepts of statistical reasoning: hypothesis tests and the t-test. J Paediatr Child Health 2001; 37: 72-77.

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        Disease prestige and the hierarchy of suffering

        Louise Stone
        Med J Aust 2018; 208 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00503
        Published online: 5 February 2018

        Suffering should not be hierarchical, and care should not be predicated on the prestige that a disease attracts

        Symptoms may herald illness, but it is the diagnosis that announces the presence of disease. While the experience of illness is subjective, disease is authorised by a health professional through diagnosis (Box 1).1 A good diagnosis explains pathology, suggests prognosis, enables access to services, grounds evidence-based therapies and provides an explanation that makes sense of a patient’s suffering. Beyond this, a diagnosis justifies sickness, providing the patient with a rationale for their disabilities — for friends, family, employees, but most importantly for patients themselves.2 To be left without a diagnosis is to be left without a story, with no way of making sense of suffering or communicating distress to others. Diagnosis, then, is often a relief, even when the diagnosis suggests a bleak future (“thank goodness, I knew there was something wrong”).3

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        • Australian National University, Canberra, ACT


        Correspondence: louise.stone@anu.edu.au
        Competing interests:

        No relevant disclosures.

        • 1. Marinker M. Why make people patients? J Med Ethics 1975; 1: 81-84.
        • 2. Nettleton S. ‘I just want permission to be ill’: towards a sociology of medically unexplained symptoms. Social Sci Med 2006; 62: 1167-1178.
        • 3. Nettleton S, O’Malley L, Watt I, Duffey P. Enigmatic illness: narratives of patients who live with medically unexplained symptoms. Social Theory Health 2004; 2: 47-66.
        • 4. Canguilhem G. On the normal and the pathological. New York: Zone Books, 1991.
        • 5. Album D, Westin S. Do diseases have a prestige hierarchy? A survey among physicians and medical students. Social Sci Med 2008; 66: 182-188.
        • 6. King S. Pink Ribbons Inc: breast cancer activism and the politics of philanthropy. Int J Qual Stud Educ 2004; 17: 473-492.
        • 7. Chapman S, McLeod K, Wakefield M, Holding S. Impact of news of celebrity illness on breast cancer screening: Kylie Minogue’s breast cancer diagnosis. Med J Aust 2005; 183: 247-250. <MJA full text>
        • 8. Chapple A, Ziebland S, McPherson A. Stigma, shame, and blame experienced by patients with lung cancer: qualitative study. BMJ 2004; 328: 1470.
        • 9. Viergever RF. The mismatch between the health research and development (R&D) that is needed and the R&D that is undertaken: an overview of the problem, the causes, and solutions. Glob Health Action 2013; 6; https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v6i0.22450.
        • 10. Clement S, Schauman O, Graham T, et al. What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies. Psychol Med 2015; 45: 11-27.
        • 11. Stone L. Blame, shame and hopelessness: medically unexplained symptoms and the ‘heartsink’ experience. Aust Fam Physician 2014; 43: 191.
        • 12. McGowan L, Luker K, Creed F, Chew-Graham CA. ‘How do you explain a pain that can't be seen?’: the narratives of women with chronic pelvic pain and their disengagement with the diagnostic cycle. Br J Health Psychol 2007; 12: 261-274.
        • 13. Stone L. Managing medically unexplained illness in general practice. Aust Fam Physician 2015; 44: 624.
        • 14. Ryder AG, Chentsova-Dutton YE. Depression in cultural context: “Chinese somatization,” revisited. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2012; 35: 15-36.
        • 15. Dumit J. Illnesses you have to fight to get: facts as forces in uncertain, emergent illnesses. Social Sci Med 2006; 62: 577-590.
        • 16. Sadler JZ. Values and psychiatric diagnosis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

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          Botulinum toxin for spasticity: a case for change to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

          Anupam Datta Gupta and David H Wilson
          Med J Aust 2018; 208 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00841
          Published online: 29 January 2018

          Current permissible use of botulinum toxin in Australia does not match newer understandings of human impairment and functioning

          The bacterium Clostridium botulinum was first identified in 1895 and, in the 1950s, was first injected into a hyperactive muscle, causing flaccid paralysis by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from motor nerve endings. However, the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin only became common after 1989, when it was approved for use for strabismus, and then in 2001, when it was synthesised and approved for use as a cosmetic treatment in Canada. In 2017, the idea of paralysing the muscles of the brow and face with a powerful neurotoxin for cosmetic reasons is now widely accepted, or at least conceptually understood, because of frequent reference to the popular procedure in the media.


          • Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, SA


          Correspondence: adattagupta86@gmail.com
          Acknowledgements: 

          We thank Barbara Brougham for editing earlier versions of this article.

          Competing interests:

          No relevant disclosures.

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          • 16. Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand. Position statement on the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin in rehabilitation medicine for spasticity and dystonia. https://rmsanz.net/uploads/Updates/RMSANZ%20Position%20Statement%20Botulinum%20Toxin%20Confidential%20(Final%20Draft%2014April2017).pdf (viewed Nov 2017).

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            Salt consumption by Australian adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

            Mary-Anne Land, Bruce C Neal, Claire Johnson, Caryl A Nowson, Claire Margerison and Kristina S Petersen
            Med J Aust 2018; 208 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00394
            Published online: 29 January 2018

            Abstract

            Objective: Salt reduction is a public health priority because it is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. As in Australia there is uncertainty about the current level of salt intake, we sought to estimate current levels.

            Study design: Random effects meta-analysis of data from 31 published studies and one unpublished dataset that reported salt or sodium consumption by Australian adults on the basis of 24-hour urine collections or dietary questionnaires.

            Data sources: MEDLINE (via Ovid) and EMBASE (to August 2016).

            Data synthesis: Thirty-one published studies and one unpublished dataset (1989–2015; 16 836 individuals) were identified. The mean weighted salt consumption estimated from 24-hour urine collections was 8.70 g/day (95% CI, 8.39–9.02 g/day); after adjusting for non-urinary salt excretion, the best estimate of salt intake in Australia is 9.6 g/day. The mean weighted intake was 10.1 g/day (95% CI, 9.68–10.5 g/day) for men and 7.34 g/day (95% CI, 6.98–7.70 g/day) for women. Mean weighted consumption was 6.49 g/day (95% CI, 5.94–7.03 g/day) when measured with diet diaries, 6.76 g/day (95% CI, 5.48–8.05 g/day) when assessed with food frequency questionnaires, and 6.73 g/day (95% CI, 6.34–7.11) when assessed by dietary recall. Salt intake had not decreased between 1989 and 2015 (R2 = –0.02; P = 0.36).

            Conclusion: Salt intake in Australian adults exceeds the WHO-recommended maximum of 5 g/day and does not appear to be declining. Measuring salt intake with methods based on self-reporting can substantially underestimate consumption. The data highlight the need for ongoing action to reduce salt consumption in Australia and robust monitoring of population salt intake.


            • 1 The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, NSW
            • 2 Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC


            Acknowledgements: 

            Bruce Neal is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Principal Research Fellowship. He holds an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence grant (APP1117300) and an NHMRC program grant (APP1052555).

            Competing interests:

            No relevant disclosures.

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              A self-management support program for older Australians with multiple chronic conditions: a randomised controlled trial

              Richard L Reed, Leigh Roeger, Sara Howard, Jodie M Oliver-Baxter, Malcolm W Battersby, Malcolm Bond and Richard H Osborne
              Med J Aust 2018; 208 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00127
              Published online: 22 January 2018

              Abstract

              Objective: To determine whether a clinician-led chronic disease self-management support (CDSMS) program improves the overall self-rated health level of older Australians with multiple chronic health conditions.

              Design: Randomised controlled trial: participants were allocated to a clinician-led CDSMS group (including client-centred goal setting and the development of individualised care plans) or to a control group in which they received positive attention only.

              Setting and participants: Patients aged 60 years or more with at least two chronic conditions, recruited between September 2009 and June 2010 from five general practices in Adelaide.

              Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was self-rated health. Secondary outcome measures related to health status (fatigue, pain, health distress, energy, depression, illness intrusiveness), health behaviour (exercise, medication adherence), and health service utilisation.

              Results: 254 participants were randomised to the CDSMS and control groups, of whom 231 (117 control and 114 CDSMS participants) completed the 6-month programs and provided complete outcomes data (91%). An intention-to-treat analysis found that CDSMS participants were more likely than control participants to report improved self-rated health at 6 months (odds ratio, 2.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–5.50; P = 0.023). Between-group differences for secondary outcomes were not statistically significant.

              Conclusion: CDSMS may benefit some older people with multiple chronic conditions to a greater extent than positive attention and health education.

              Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000726257.

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              • 1 Flinders University, Adelaide, SA
              • 2 Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Services Unit, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA
              • 3 Health System Improvement Unit, Centre for Population Health Research, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC


              Acknowledgements: 

              This investigation was supported by a grant to Flinders University from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) under the Sharing Health Care Initiative – Innovations in Chronic Disease Self-Management Research Grants program. The DoHA had no role in the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing of the article, or the decision to submit it for publication. We thank the patients and general practitioners from Chandlers Hill, Flagstaff Hill and Colonel Light Gardens, and Chris Moschou for their support. We also thank members of the research team for their contributions: the Flinders Program adviser (Vee Pols), Flinders Program clinicians (Angela Eastwood, Katrina Reschke, Melissa Day, Pauline Kelly), attention control group health professionals (Lauren Bullivant, Marie Iannos), our research nurse (Bridgit McAteer-Carr), and the qualitative researchers (Chris Barton, Linda Isherwood, Stacey Masters). Richard Osborne was supported in part by a National Health and Medical Research Council Population Health Research Fellowship (Career Development Award).

              Competing interests:

              Malcom Battersby is the developer of the Flinders Program. He has no financial interest in the Flinders Program, but Flinders University has received funding from government, commercial and charitable sponsors for the research, development and dissemination of the Flinders Program.

              • 1. Institute of Medicine Committee on Identifying Priority Areas for Quality Improvement; Adams K, Corrigan JM, editors. Priority areas for national action: transforming health care quality. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US), 2003. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221294/ (viewed May 2017).
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                Position statement: a clinical approach to the management of adult non-neurogenic overactive bladder

                Eric Chung, Dominic Lee, Johan Gani, Michael Gillman, Christopher Maher, Janelle Brennan, Lydia Johns Putra, Laura Ahmad and Lewis LW Chan
                Med J Aust 2018; 208 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/mja16.01097
                Published online: 15 January 2018

                Summary

                Introduction: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a highly prevalent medical condition that has an adverse impact on various health-related quality-of-life domains, including a significant psychosocial and financial burden. This position statement, formulated by members of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and the UroGynaecological Society of Australasia, summarises the current recommendations for clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies in patients with non-neurogenic OAB, and guides clinicians in the decision-making process for managing the condition using evidence-based medicine.

                Main recommendations:

                • Diagnosis and initial management should be based on thorough clinical history, examination and basic investigations to exclude underlying treatable causes such as urinary tract infection and urological malignancy.
                • Initial treatment strategies for OAB involve conservative management with behavioural modification and bladder retraining.
                • Second-line management involves medical therapy using anticholinergic or β3 agonist drugs provided there is adequate assessment of bladder emptying.
                • If medical therapy is unsuccessful, further investigations with urodynamic studies and cystourethroscopy are recommended to guide further treatment.
                • Intravesical botulinum toxin and sacral neuromodulation should be considered in medical refractory OAB.

                Changes in management as a result of this statement:

                • OAB is a constellation of urinary symptoms and is a chronic condition with a low likelihood of cure; managing patient expectations is essential because OAB is challenging to treat.
                • At present, the exact pathogenesis of OAB remains unclear and it is likely that there are multiple factors involved in this disease complex.
                • Current medical treatment remains far from ideal, although minimally invasive surgery can be effective.
                • Further research into the pathophysiology of this common condition will hopefully guide future developments in disease management.

                • 1 Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
                • 2 St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW
                • 3 Austin and Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne, VIC
                • 4 Pelvic Medicine Centre, St Andrews War Memorial Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
                • 5 Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD
                • 6 Bendigo Health, Bendigo, VIC
                • 7 Ballarat Urology, Ballarat, VIC
                • 8 Ballarat Health Services, Ballarat, VIC
                • 9 Aged Health Network, NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, Sydney, NSW
                • 10 Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, NSW


                Correspondence: ericchg@hotmail.com
                Competing interests:

                No relevant disclosures.

                • 1. Abrams P, Cardozo L, Fall M, et al. Standardisation Sub-committee of the International Continence Society. The standardisation of terminology of lower urinary tract function: report from the standardisation sub-committee of the International Continence Society. Neurourol Urodyn 2002; 21: 167-178.
                • 2. Lee UJ, Scott VC, Rashid R, et al. Defining and managing overactive bladder: disagreement among the experts. Urology 2013; 81: 257-262.
                • 3. Sexton CC, Coyne KS, Thompson C, et al. Prevalence and effect on health-related quality of life of overactive bladder in older Americans: results from the epidemiology of lower urinary tract symptoms study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2011; 59: 1465-1470.
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                • 8. Wang CC, Liao CH, Kuo HC. Clinical guidelines for male lower urinary tract symptoms associated with non-neurogenic overactive bladder. Urol Sci 2015; 26: 7-16.
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                • 15. Moore K, Dumoulin C, Bradley C, et al. Adult conservative management. Abrams P, Cordozo L, Koury S, et al, editors. Paris: Health Publications; 2013; p 1101-1226.
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                • 24. Duthie JB, Vincent M, Herbison GP, et al. Botulinum toxin injections for adults with overactive bladder syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011; (12): CD005493.
                • 25. Cui Y, Zhou X, Zong H, et al. The efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA in treating idiopathic OAB: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurourol Urodyn 2015; 34: 413-419.
                • 26. Siegel S, Noblett K, Mangel J, et al. Results of a prospective, randomized, multicentre study evaluating sacral neuromodulation with InterStim therapy compared to standard medical therapy at 6-months in subjects with mild symptoms of overactive bladder. Neurourol Urodyn 2015; 34: 224-230.
                • 27. Van Kerrebroeck PE, van Voskuilen AC, Heesakkers JP, et al. Results of sacral neuromodulation therapy for urinary voiding dysfunction: outcomes of a prospective, worldwide clinical study. J Urol 2007; 178: 2029-2034.
                • 28. Peeters K, Sahai A, De Ridder D, Van Der Aa F. Long-term follow-up of sacral neuromodulation for lower urinary tract dysfunction. BJU Int 2014; 113: 789-794.
                • 29. Peters KM, Carrico DJ, Perez-Marrero RA, et al. Randomized trial of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation versus Sham efficacy in the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome: results from the SUmiT trial. J Urol 2010; 183: 1438-1443.
                • 30. Biers SM, Venn SN, Greenwell TJ. The past, present and future of augmentation cystoplasty. BJU Int 2012; 109: 1280-1293.
                • 31. Soergel TM, Cain MP, Misseri R, et al. Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder following augmentation cystoplasty for the neuropathic bladder. J Urol 2004; 172(4 Pt 2): 1651-1652.
                • 32. Farnham SB, Cookson MS. Surgical complications of urinary diversion. World J Urol 2004; 22: 157-167.

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                  Cognitive impairment during pregnancy: a meta-analysis

                  Sasha J Davies, Jarrad AG Lum, Helen Skouteris, Linda K Byrne and Melissa J Hayden
                  Med J Aust 2018; 208 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00131
                  Published online: 15 January 2018

                  Abstract

                  Objectives: Many women report declines in cognitive function during pregnancy, but attempts to empirically evaluate such changes have yielded inconsistent results. We aimed to determine whether pregnancy is associated with objective declines in cognitive functioning, and to assess the progression of any declines during pregnancy.

                  Study design: We undertook a meta-analysis, applying a random effects model, of 20 studies that have reported quantitative relationships between pregnancy and changes in cognition.

                  Data sources: Full text articles indexed by Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, MEDLINE Complete, and PsychINFO.

                  Data synthesis: The 20 studies assessed included 709 pregnant women and 521 non-pregnant women. Overall cognitive functioning was poorer in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women (standardised mean difference [SMD], 0.52 [95% CI, 0.07–0.97]; P = 0.025). Analysis of cross-sectional studies found that general cognitive functioning (SMD, 1.28 [95% CI 0.26–2.30]; P = 0.014), memory (SMD, 1.47 [95% CI, 0.27–2.68]; P = 0.017), and executive functioning (SMD, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.03–0.89]; P = 0.036) were significantly reduced during the third trimester of pregnancy (compared with control women), but not during the first two trimesters. Longitudinal studies found declines between the first and second trimesters in general cognitive functioning (SMD, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.08–0.50]; P = 0.006) and memory (SMD, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.12–0.54]; P = 0.002), but not between the second and third trimesters.

                  Conclusions: General cognitive functioning, memory, and executive functioning were significantly poorer in pregnant than in control women, particularly during the third trimester. The differences primarily develop during the first trimester, and are consistent with recent findings of long term reductions in brain grey matter volume during pregnancy. The impact of these effects on the quality of life and everyday functioning of pregnant women requires further investigation.


                  • Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC


                  Correspondence: m.hayden@deakin.edu.au
                  Competing interests:

                  No relevant disclosures.

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                    Diagnosing COPD and supporting smoking cessation in general practice: evidence–practice gaps

                    Jenifer Liang, Michael J Abramson, Nicholas A Zwar, Grant M Russell, Anne E Holland, Billie Bonevski, Ajay Mahal, Kirsten Phillips, Paula Eustace, Eldho Paul, Sally Wilson and Johnson George
                    Med J Aust 2018; 208 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00664
                    Published online: 15 January 2018

                    Abstract

                    Objectives: To review the accuracy of diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care in Australia, and to describe smokers’ experiences with and preferences for smoking cessation.

                    Design, setting and participants: Patients were invited to participate if they were at least 40 years old and had visited participating general practice clinics in Melbourne at least twice during the previous 12 months, reported being current or ex-smokers with a smoking history of at least 10 pack-years, or were being managed for COPD. Interviews based on a structured questionnaire and case finding (FEV1/FEV6 measurement) were followed, when appropriate, by spirometry testing and assessment of health-related quality of life, dyspnoea and symptoms.

                    Results: 1050 patients attended baseline interviews (February 2015 – April 2017) at 41 practices. Of 245 participants managed for COPD, 130 (53.1%) met the spirometry-based definition (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC < 0.7) or had a clinical correlation; in 37% of cases COPD was not confirmed, and no definitive result was obtained for 9.8% of patients. Case finding and subsequent spirometry testing identified 142 new COPD cases (17.6% of participants without prior diagnosis; 95% CI, 15.1–20.5%). 690 participants (65.7%) were current smokers, of whom 360 had attempted quitting during the previous 12 months; 286 (81.0% of those attempting to quit) reported difficulties during previous quit attempts. Nicotine replacement therapy (205, 57.4%) and varenicline (110, 30.8%) were the most frequently employed pharmacological treatments; side effects were common. Hypnotherapy was the most popular non-pharmacological option (62 smokers, 17%); e-cigarettes were tried by 38 (11%). 187 current smokers (27.6%) would consider using e-cigarettes in future attempts to quit.

                    Conclusions: COPD was both misdiagnosed and missed. Case finding and effective use of spirometry testing could improve diagnosis. Side effects of smoking cessation medications and difficulties during attempts to quit smoking are common. Health professionals should emphasise evidence-based treatments, and closely monitor quitting difficulties and side effects of cessation aids.

                    Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614001155684.

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                    • 1 Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 2 Monash University, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 3 University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
                    • 4 University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW
                    • 5 Southern Academic Primary Care Research Unit, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 6 La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 7 Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 8 Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 9 University of Newcastle, Newcastle, VIC
                    • 10 The Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 11 Lung Foundation Australia, Brisbane, QLD
                    • 12 Eastern Melbourne PHN, Melbourne, VIC
                    • 13 Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC


                    Correspondence: Johnson.George@monash.edu
                    Acknowledgements: 

                    This trial is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) through the NHMRC Partnerships for Better Health – Partnership Projects initiative (APP1076255). Cash and in-kind contributions were received from our partner organisations, Lung Foundation Australia (LFA), Boehringer Ingelheim, and Eastern Melbourne PHN (EMPHN). The LFA and EMPHN were involved in project design and conduct, and contributed to data analysis and writing of manuscripts. Boehringer Ingelheim was involved in project discussions, planning and progress review, but had no involvement in the design of the intervention program, and did not contribute to decisions about data analysis and the dissemination of findings. Billie Bonevski is supported by an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (GNT1063206) and a Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Gladys M. Brawn Career Development Fellowship. Jenifer Liang receives the Cyril Tonkin Scholarship 2014, administered by the Victorian College of Pharmacy Foundation Board, Monash University. We thank Denise van den Bosch (project manager), and all research assistants, clinics and participants.

                    Competing interests:

                    Johnson George, Billie Bonevski and Michael J Abramson have held an investigator-initiated grant from Pfizer for unrelated research. Michael J Abramson has received assistance for conference attendance from Sanofi. Johnson George and Nicholas A Zwar are members of the Lung Foundation Australia COPD Guidelines Committee; Michael J Abramson was Chair of the committee (2004–14). Anne E Holland is a member of the Lung Foundation Australia COPD-XConcise Guide for Primary Care Advisory Committee. Kirsten Phillips is general manager of the COPD National Program, Lung Foundation Australia.

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                      Comorbidities in Australian women with hormone-dependent breast cancer: a population-based analysis

                      Huah Shin Ng, Bogda Koczwara, David M Roder, Theo Niyonsenga and Agnes I Vitry
                      Med J Aust 2018; 208 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/mja17.00006
                      Published online: 15 January 2018

                      Abstract

                      Objective: To compare how frequently selected chronic diseases developed in women with breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy, and in women without cancer.

                      Design, setting and participants: Retrospective, rolling cohort study, analysing a random 10% sample of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data for the period 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2014. Women with breast cancer who first commenced endocrine therapy between January 2004 and December 2011 were identified, and age- and sex-matched (1:10) by comorbidity with control groups of women who did not have a dispensing record for antineoplastic agents during the study period or the comorbidity of interest at baseline.

                      Main outcome measures: Development of any of eight pre-selected comorbidities, identified in PBS claims data with the RxRisk-V model.

                      Results: Women with hormone-dependent breast cancer were significantly more likely than women in the control group to develop depression (overall hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.26–1.46), pain or pain–inflammation (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.23–1.38), osteoporosis (overall HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.17–1.39), diabetes (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.10–1.41), cardiovascular disorders (overall HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.13–1.32), and gastric acid disorders (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.13–1.28). The hazard ratios for developing cardiovascular disorders, depression and osteoporosis were highest during the first year of endocrine therapy. The risk of hyperlipidaemia was lower among women with breast cancer than in the control group (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81–0.96). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the risk of reactive airway diseases (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.98–1.13).

                      Conclusion: Comorbid conditions are more likely to develop in women who have been diagnosed with hormone-dependent breast cancer than in women without cancer. Our results further support the need to develop appropriate models of care to manage the multiple chronic disorders of breast cancer survivors.

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                      • 1 University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
                      • 2 Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA
                      • 3 Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA
                      • 4 Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
                      • 5 Health Research Institute/CeRAPH, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT


                      Acknowledgements: 

                      Huah Shin Ng is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

                      Competing interests:

                      No relevant disclosures.

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