June 1, 1998

Diagnosis and management plans can usually be established based on the history, the physical examination, urinalysis and measurement of postvoid residual urine volume.

Eyelid problems range from benign to malignant; inflammation, infection, benign and malignant tumors and structural problems such as ectropion, entropion and blepharoptosis may occur. Warm compresses and antibiotics suffice for many conditions, while excision, cryotherapy or…

The Charcot foot is a complication of sensory neuropathy in patients with diabetes mellitus. The acute Charcot foot is usually painless and may mimic cellulitis or deep venous thrombosis. If undiagnosed or improperly managed, it can result in disastrous complications for the…

Neonatal group B streptococcal infection may be prevented through intrapartum treatment of women at high risk for delivering an infected infant.

Preoperative antibiotics reduce rates of wound infection, although antibiotics administered postoperatively do not. An appropriately chosen cephalosporin is generally recommended for single-regimen antibiotic prophylaxis.

Successful management of bulimia nervosa requires early detection, comprehensive assessment for comorbid conditions and complications, and individualized therapy.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a complex autoimmune disorder with a prolonged course that can involve more than one organ system. Treatment approaches emphasize using a combination of drugs to minimize chronic exposure to corticosteroids.

Nontraumatic sudden death in young athletes is, despite public perception to the contrary, quite rare, occurring most often in male athletes. Congenital cardiovascular disease, especially hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is the leading cause. Screening athletes is a challenge.

Vocal abuse is one of the most common causes of hoarseness and can lead to vocal pathologies such as vocal nodules. In a patient with a history of tobacco use, cancer of the head and neck must be ruled out before any other diagnosis can be accepted.

Combination antiretroviral therapy is now standard treatment for HIV infection. The therapeutic goal is to decrease the viral load to undetectable levels within four to six months of initiating a new treatment regimen.

(Australia—Australian Family Physician, December 1997, p. 1386.) Although most snakebites are dramatic, the diagnosis may be missed in patients who are unconscious or severely ill or if the bite occurs in the dark or in heavy vegetation. Presenting symptoms may vary from local…

Do you want to learn more about the publication process? Think you'd like to write an article? Consider attending one of the workshops to be presented by Jay Siwek, M.D., and others at AAFP's Annual Assembly in San Francisco, September 17–20. Dr. Siwek recently helped conduct…

Selected policy and health issues news briefs from AAFP News Now.

Many older adults have trouble sleeping, but sleeping pills aren't the answer. According to sleep researchers at Duke University who conducted a three-month study comparing two sleep remedies, behavior modification works better than sleeping pills because patients learn to…

Physicians who care for pregnant women and for infants have struggled for the past several years in weighing evidence regarding the usefulness of various strategies for preventing neonatal group B streptococcal infection. The difficulty in determining the value of these…

A youth baseball coach recently shared with TBS a technique he uses for treating minor ankle sprains in young athletes. He previously found that applying ice bags to these small players was often cumbersome and, therefore, the athletes were not cooperative. Also, he was aware…

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

(Annual Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society) A study to determine the effects of racist provocations in blacks showed that holding back anger places an unhealthy load on the blood vessels which, over time, may cause hypertension. In the study, 46 male college students…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 132 new drugs and biologic products in 1997, the second highest number of approvals made in one year by the agency since initiation of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a statement for health care professionals on cardiovascular disease in women. According to the AHA, there are still misperceptions that cardiovascular disease is not a real problem for women, even though nearly 50 percent of women…

The use of soy protein–based formulas in infant feeding has increased in recent years and now accounts for nearly 25 percent of infant formula marketed in the United States. For this reason, the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated a…

Physicians should include discussions of substance abuse as a part of the routine health care of their pediatric patients. Discussions should start with the prenatal visit and continue as a part of ongoing anticipatory guidance, according to a new policy statement from the…

Also Received

If your bladder leaks urine between trips to the bathroom, this is called urinary incontinence. People of any age can have incontinence, but it happens more often in older adults. Incontinence can bother you and even make you embarrassed. It can make you stop taking part in…

Group B strep is a common name for a certain kind of streptococcal germ that lives on the skin of some women. Up to one third of pregnant women have these germs (also called bacteria). A woman who has group B strep living on her skin is “colonized” with this germ. For every 100…