I report a case of 40-year-old lady who presented with symptoms and signs suggestive of fibromyalgia but was disregarded by attending doctor. She was infuriated and lodged a complaint to Family Medicine Specialist (FMS) whereby further assessment confirmed the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and subsequently treated in primary care setting.

background: blood pressure (bP) control among Malaysian is poor and doctor’s adherence to clinical practice guideline (cPG) has been a well-known factor that may improve it. this study was designed to evaluate patients’ bP control, doctors’ adherence to the latest hypertension cPG and their association. Factors associated with bP control and cPG adherence was also examined. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kuala Muda district’s health clinics. 331 medical records were selected using stratified random sampling and standard proforma was used for data collection. the latest edition of the Malaysian cPG on hypertension was employed to define related variables. results: A total of 160 patients (48.3%) had controlled bP and it was significantly associated with patients’ age (adjusted Odds ratio, aOr= 1.03, 95% cI: 1.004, 1.05, p= 0.016) and systolic bP at presentation (aOr= 0.95, 95% cI: 0.93, 0.96, p< 0.001). About 60.7% of the medical records showed doctor’s good level of cPG adherence. this adherence has significant association with presence of chronic kidney disease (aOr= 0.51, 95% cI: 0.31, 0.85, p= 0.007) and cardiovascular disease (aOr= 2.68, 95% cI: 1.04, 6.95, p= 0.030) in the patients and physicians’ treatment intensification (aOr= 2.00, 95% cI: 1.26, 3.19, p= 0.009). However, no association was found between bP control and cPG adherence. conclusion: Hypertension control in this study was poor and the prevalence of physicians with good level of cPG adherence was slightly above average. these findings are important for relevant stakeholders to strategise an action plan to improve hypertension management outcome.

This case report illustrates how a primary care physician managed a 60-year-old woman with severe obesity, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, and low self-esteem for many years. Through a primary care physician, bariatric surgery is recommended for patients with severe obesity, which is then co-managed in a tertiary hospital through a multidisciplinary team. Primary care physicians are on the front lines when treating patients with severe obesity. A number of studies have shown that primary care physicians have low success rates in counselling and managing patients with severe obesity.(1,2) There is also a debate about bariatric surgery being unsuitable for the elderly age. It is crucial to intervene early to prevent obesity progression and its complications. Clinical inertia is one factor that hinders patients with severe obesity. Therefore, it is essential to address the problem of severe obesity early and should not miss the opportunity to counsel the treatment options and refer these patients to bariatric surgery if indicated. Primary care physicians are also crucial in providing continuity of care after bariatric surgery.