Although the Department of Health recommends women avoid smoking in pregnancy, the most recent Irish data shows that approximately 11% of women continue to report this behaviour.¹ It is likely that this prevalence figure is an under-representation of the problem as non-disclosure rates of 10-25% exist in...

Concealed pregnancy as a social issue remains a contemporary problem in Ireland and internationally. It is a complex process which involves hiding a pregnancy and can lead to maternal or neonatal morbidity or mortality.¹

Many still believe that women and young girls conceal their pregnancy because of the...

Pregnancy encompasses a range of physiological changes in the female body. Even in a healthy female, the workings of the thyroid gland are significantly altered with conception, producing a picture that in a non-pregnant female would be pathological. Missing an abnormality in the functioning of the thyroid...

A 15-year-old girl with GP referral presented acutely unwell for less than 24 hours to the emergency department (ED) and was admitted under the paediatrics service. She had awoken that morning with two episodes of vomiting with a further 10 episodes noted the previous day. There was no haematemesis and the...

Case study 1

A 54-year-old woman who has no prior past medical history is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Her body mass index (BMI) is 37kg/m². Her renal function is normal and she is taking no regular medications. HbA1c was found to be 62mmol/mol (7.8%).

Question 1

What is the glycaemic...