Dear Reader,

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, and up to 30% of the population are reported to be affected by an anxiety disorder during their lifetime. The disease burden and economic costs of anxiety disorders are substantial, thus timely, effective treatments for controlling the disease are essential. Although effective therapies against anxiety disorders are available, early identification of patients with the disorder is still clinically challenging. In the current Feature Story, Dr. Chong King Yee was invited to share her experiences in managing anxiety disorders and discuss certain clinical issues related to psychiatric disorders.

The Focus section covered the threats of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (pIBD), a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) characterised by the repetitive inflammation of the GIT caused by an abnormal immune response. As the disease manifests with a variety of intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms that can present insidiously or in a fulminant manner, diagnostic delay is common for pIBD. Notably, early antibiotic exposure would further increase the risk of pIBD. Fortunately, the development of biologic treatment offers new hope in the management of pIBD. Recent findings about the clinical performance of various biologics in countering pIBD were highlighted.

Besides the thematic topics, updates on the pharmacologic management of Parkinson’s disease, and the benefits of vaccination in post-exposure prophylaxis of rabies and hand, foot and mouth disease were discussed in the Industry Updates. In particular, the strategies for eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) infection in marginalised communities were covered as well.

In the Epoch section, clinical data evaluating the effects of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide in non-treatment-seeking adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) were presented. Also, the outcomes of managing acute myocardial infarction with SGLT2 inhibitor were reviewed. Essentially, the clinical implications of the newly published consensus on the management of lupus nephritis for the Asia-Pacific region were featured.

Hope you enjoy this issue!

Dr. Roy Yuen-chi Lau

PhD, DBA, MPH, MMedSc, MA, BSc,

FRSPH, MIET, MRSC, MSB, CBiol, CSci, MRACI CChem

Editor-in-Chief

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