The increased incidence of chronic diseases and conditions presents a huge challenge not just to the NHS but worldwide. Chronic diseases are those that can only be controlled and not, at present, cured. They include diabetes, asthma, arthritis, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia and a range of disabling neurological conditions. Living with a chronic disease has a sig...

Crohn's disease (CD) is rapidly increasing in children so an up to date knowledge of diagnosis, investigation and management is essential. Exclusive enteral nutrition is the first line treatment for active disease. The vast majority of children will need immunosuppressant treatment and around 20% will need treatment with biologics. Recent guidelines have helped make best use of available therap...

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limiting inflammatory disorder, associated with vasculitis, affecting predominantly medium-sized arteries, particularly the coronary arteries. In developed countries KD is the commonest cause of acquired heart disease in childhood. The aetiology of KD remains unknown, and it is currently believed that one or more as yet unidentified infectious agents induc...

Disease Management (DM) first appeared in the United States in the early 1990s. Since then its incorporation into health plans has increased dramatically, yet proof of its effectiveness in terms of quality improvement and cost reduction remains to be seen. The following review provides an exploratory analysis of the basic principles of DM, its evolution and differences from traditional managed ...

Objective: adrenal masses are incidentally discovered in 5% of cT scans. In 2013/2014, 81 million cT examinations were undertaken in the Usa and 5 million in the UK. However, uncertainty remains around the optimal imaging approach for diagnosing malignancy. We aimed to review the evidence on the accuracy of imaging tests for differentiating malignant from benign adrenal masses. Design: a system...

Improving health care quality and reduc­ ing costs are attractive selling points for dis ease management (DM) programs. DM is widely used by insurers and employers, with revenues approaching $2 billion a year (Mattke, Seid, and Ma, 2007). The appeal of DM has spread beyond the pri­ vate sector and is increasingly being con­ sidered, if not adopted, by public payers. The growing chronic disease ...