Wycombe Hospital is located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is one of two acute and five community hospitals managed by the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Abstract Background Lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is essential for preventing atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD). Barriers to medication adherence are multifactorial, influenced by socioeconomic status, health literacy, demographic characteristics, perceived or experienced adverse effects, regimen complexity, and levels of trust in healthcare professionals (HCPs).1 HCP understanding and mitigation (where possible) of barriers to medication adherence is crucial to maximising the benefits of guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT), potentially improving outcomes. Purpose To evaluate primary care HCPs’ perceptions regarding barriers to patient adherence to GDMT for secondary prevention. Methods A cross-sectional lipid-based electronic survey was conducted between September and October 2025 on primary care HCPs from the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (UK) membership database. One key multi-response question asked was "What hinders patient compliance/adherence to taking lipid-lowering therapies?" Results A total of 69 HCPs responded to the questionnaire, comprising 28 general practitioners (GPs, including GP trainees and GPs with a special interest), 20 pharmacists, 16 nurses, and 5 other HCP types. The most frequently reported barriers included: 1) side effects or perceived side effects (97%) 2) lack of patient awareness regarding the benefits of lipid reduction (70%) 3) misinformation from media sources (62%) 4) medication fatigue (61%) 5) lack of HCP awareness of the benefits of lipid reduction (39%) 6) fear of injections (15%). Conclusions To improve adherence to GDMT, HCPs must be fully informed about the benefits of lipid-lowering, recognise their own biases in perceptions of patient adherence, and proactively identify and address patient-specific barriers to taking LLT. Recognising and addressing barriers to medication adherence may lead to more effective ASCVD risk reduction.
The British Migraine Association was the world’s first patient advocacy organization in the field of headache. Mark Weatherall traces the origin of the association to 1955, and shows how politics and medicine created ‘Establishment Migraine’ in the shape of The Migraine Trust in 1965.
PURPOSEThyroid cancer (TC) represents a growing global health burden with a significant increase in worldwide incidence. However, there are no comprehensive reports on TC incidence and its trend in Jordan to complement worldwide reports. This study investigates the incidence of TC in Jordan for the period 2000-2019.METHODSData were extracted from the Jordan Cancer Registry. Age- and sex-specific incidence rates, as well as overall age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), were computed and analyzed. ASIRs were computed using direct age standardization to the WHO world standard population.RESULTSIn the period between 2000 and 2019, 3,857 new cases of TC were reported in Jordan; 23.9% occurred in males and 76.1% in females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:3. Papillary TC constituted 79.2% of cases followed by follicular (9.2%) and medullary (2%) cancers. ASIR rose from 1.7 per 100,000 in 2000 to 5.6 per 100,000 in 2019 (P < .001) with an average ASIR of 4.1 (1.4 in males and 6.3 in females). The annual increase in ASIR was statistically significant in most years. The highest ASIR was in women aged 30-39 years. Mean incidence age was approximately 42.9 years (range, 2-90). Almost half of the patients were aged 30-49 years.CONCLUSIONThis study represents the most comprehensive and updated epidemiologic analysis of TC in Jordan, highlighting a significant rise in incidence between 2000 and 2019, particularly among women aged 30-39 years. By providing long-term national data, this study contributes to a wider framework aimed at improving cancer surveillance, contextualizing global TC trends, and guiding future research in Jordan, where national cancer control strategies remain an evolving priority.
Abstract Background Lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is a key component of optimising secondary prevention in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). It is therefore essential that all patients with ASCVD are both offered LLT and treated to their LDL-C target. There is growing momentum surrounding the gender inequality gap in CVD, reflecting discrepancies in both diagnosis and management, leading to missed opportunities to reduce morbidity and mortality in women.1 Purpose This analysis aimed to highlight gender disparities in LLT prescribing and LDL-C target attainment across England, UK. Methods Data on LLT prescribing and the proportion (%) of patients achieving treatment targets (NICE UK target LDL≤2.0mmol/l or non-HDL ≤2.6mmol/l) across England (fig.1, East of England, London, Midlands, North East and Yorkshire, North West, South East, South West) were assessed using the most recent (June 2025) publicly available CVDprevent data set.2 Results Across all 7 regions in England, the proportion of women treated with LLT was consistently lower than that of men. The average number of women prescribed LLT was 80.1% (range 78.0-82.5%) compared to 88.1% in men (87.3-89.1%). Fewer women than men achieved NICE secondary prevention targets across all 7 regions in England (females: average 40.8%, range 36.61-44.82% vs males: average 51.4%, range 47.9-54.9%). Conclusions Significant gender disparities exist in both the prescribing of LLT and LDL-C target attainment in secondary prevention of ASCVD across England. These findings highlight a clear and ongoing gender gap that may contribute to excess cardiovascular risk in women. Systematic, proactive efforts to optimise LLT prescribing and lipid management in women are essential to reduce this gap and prevent avoidable MACE.
