NEURO

Question 1

Facts on the epidemiology of depression

Answer 1

• 1/7 lifetime prevalence of developing depression in australia
• 3rd highest burden of disease in australia
• 1/16 young australians currently experiencing depression
• less than 50% receiving medical care

Question 2

Risk factors for depression

Answer 2

• family history
• trauma
• chronic illnesses
• alcohol or drug abuse
• other mental disorders
• medications

Question 3

Depression protective factors

Answer 3

• healthy diet
• regular exercise
• social support
• early intervention

Question 4

Diagnostic criteria of depression

Answer 4

At least 1 of: depressed mood or anhedonia

At least 5 of:

• apetite change
• sleep change
• psychomotor retardation
• fatigue
• poor concentration
• thoughts of death
• worthlessness

Question 5

Suicide risk factors - SADPERSONS

Answer 5

Sex - f more attempt, m more successful
Age
Depression 
Previous attempt
Ethanol abuse 
Rational thinking loss 
Social support 
Organised plan 
No spouse
Sickness

Question 6

Stroke risk factors

Answer 6

• Hypertension
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• diabetes
• poor diet, inactivity, overweight
• XS alcohol
• atrial fibrillation

Question 7

All adults presenting with stroke-like symptoms to the ED should receive:

Answer 7

1. Rapid initial stroke screen
2. ABCD2
   - age >60 = 1 pt
   - BP >140/90 = 1pt
   - clinical features - unilateral weakness = 2, speech impairment = 1
   - duration >60mins = 2 points, <60 = 1 point
   - diabetes = 1 point
   >4 = high risk
3. urgent CT/MRI
4. nothing by mouth until bedside swallow screen
5. Aspirin ASAP if haemorrhage excluded
6. physiological monitoring and management

Question 8

How soon after stroke symptom onset should anti-thrombolytics be given?

Answer 8

<4.5 hours

Question 9

What is a cohort study design? what type of question can it answer?

Answer 9

Study where participants are selected based on their exposure, prospective study to see who develops the disease
Prognostic question

Question 10

What is hazard ratio

Answer 10

Measure of relative risk over time in circumstances where we are interested in the events and the timing of them
Time to event curve/kaplan-meier curve used

Question 11

How are people selected for a case-control study? what are the adv/disadvantages

Answer 11

Based on the presence/absence of disease of interest
- retrospective
Advantages: rare diseases, quick and inexpensive, suited to outbreaks or disease with long latent periods, can study several exposures
Disadvantages: inefficient for rare exposures, temporal relationship between disease and exposure difficult to analyse, prone to selection bias, prone to recall bias