Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and places a large burden on medical and economic resources, particularly if hospitalization is required. Indeed, it has been estimated that annual costs of inpatient treatment of patients with CAP...

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women and imposes a substantial economic burden on society. Estrogen is thought to play a major role in both the initiation and promotion of hormone dependent breast cancer, and a number of well recognized risk factors for breast cancer...

Alzheimer's disease affects 15 million people worldwide. As the elderly population grows, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease will also increase. It is estimated that by 2010, 40 million US citizens will be over the age of 65 years and by 2040, it is predicted that 14 million US citizens will...

Neutropenic patients with cancer are at risk of serious infection, particularly if neutropenia is severe or prolonged. Because patients with neutropenia have a diminished inflammatory response, fever is sometimes the first, and only, sign of infection. Prompt empirical antibacterial therapy is...

Alcohol dependence is a major health problem associated with substantial social and healthcare costs. Until recently, the only available management options for maintaining abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients after detoxification were psychosocial/behavioural therapies (including self-help...

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a serious genetically inherited multisystem disease, characterised by symptoms of pancreatic insufficiency, meconium ileus, obstruction/absence of the vas deferens and chronic obstruction, infection and inflammation of the lower respiratory tract. Lung disease,...

Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder caused by degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, is characterized by resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. For over 30 years levodopa has been considered as the first-line treatment for this...

Alzheimer's disease is associated with a large cost burden, of which institutionalised care constitutes a major component. Therefore, the decision to move a patient from the community to institutionalised care is associated with a significant increase in direct costs. About three-quarters of...

Dyslipidaemias are major modifiable risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis and its sequelae, namely coronary heart disease (CHD) and peripheral vascular disease. CHD is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in men and women in Western countries; the costs associated with this...

Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic agent which is at least as effective as the conventional agent haloperidol and the atypical agent risperidone. Olanzapine may be superior to haloperidol in some respects, including treatment of negative symptoms. A major advantage of olanzapine over...