The Medical journal of Australia
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To examine the association of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms with alcohol abuse or dependence in young adulthood. ⋯ Adolescents with depression and anxiety symptoms are at increased risk for alcohol use disorders into young adulthood. They warrant vigilance from primary care providers in relation to alcohol use well into adulthood.
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To analyse the links between other people's drinking and mental health and to explore the effects on mental health of heavy and problematic drinkers both within and outside spousal relationships. ⋯ Our findings support a causal pathway between alcohol use and mental health problems by way of someone else's drinking. The association with adverse mental health is substantial regardless of the type of relationship an individual has with the heavy drinker whose drinking has had an adverse effect on them.
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The clinical usefulness of laboratory testing of adult patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) for heritable thrombophilia needs to be critically evaluated. At present, some clinicians use testing to identify patients at higher risk of recurrence (who may benefit from an extended period of anticoagulation beyond the usual 3-6 months) and their relatives at risk of a first VTE episode. As prevalence of heritable thrombophilia is related to age and ethnic origin, the pretest probability of detecting heritable thrombophilia may be low in unselected populations. ⋯ Clinical risk factors (eg, the presence or otherwise of provoking factor(s) and whether or not the risk factor for VTE is reversible or permanent) appear to be the most important predictors of VTE recurrence. Duration of anticoagulation should be determined by clinical risk factors rather than the presence, or otherwise, of heritable thrombophilia. The benefit of identifying relatives who are carriers of thrombophilia is uncertain, as VTE is a multifactorial disease resulting from the interaction of various risk factors, some well recognised and others as yet unknown.