July 1, 1998

Patients with persistent asthma require medications for both long-term control and quick relief of symptoms. The pharmacotherapy of asthma is briefly reviewed, including the newer therapeutic agents and the recent guidelines from the National Asthma Education and Prevention…

Timely diagnosis facilitates treatment of Lisfranc injury and decreases the risk of long-term disability. Mild to moderate sprains can be treated with immobilization, but fracture–dislocations generally require surgery.

Patients with atrial fibrillation should be considered for anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy based on the patient's age, the presence of other risk factors for stroke and the risk of complications from anticoagulation.

Primary care physicians may use pharmacotherapy and psychosocial methods to manage withdrawal syndromes and prevent relapse in patients with drug and alcohol disorders.

Children whose growth parameters are at the extremes of the growth curve but who have normal growth rates are likely to be healthy. Conversely, accelerated or slowed growth rates are rarely normal and warrant further evaluation.

The treatment of tinea infection is based of the anatomic location of the infection, the likelihood of patient compliance and the safety, efficacy and cost of appropriate agents. Newer oral and topical antifungal agents, including imidazoles and allylamines, have greatly…

Premenstrual symptoms that impair daily life have been estimated to occur in up to 40 percent of women of reproductive age. A comprehensive treatment plan that encourages a healthy lifestyle may relieve symptoms in most women.

It's no secret that AFP is a success, but how does AFP stay at the top of the reading list for family physicians? A key factor is the ongoing effort by AFP's editors and staff to gather and analyze readers' opinions. Throughout the year we administer various surveys, including…

(Great Britain—The Practitioner, March 1998, p. 200.) In susceptible persons, inhaled protein or spores can cause an immunologic response in the peripheral bronchioles and alveoli, leading to severe pulmonary fibrosis. This condition (allergic alveolitis) is usually caused by…

This document was developed by a joint task force of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

AAFP–ACOG Joint Statement on Cooperative Practice and Hospital Privileges

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

What do you get when you cross broccoli and Chinese kale? Broccolini, the newest vegetable on the market. Broccolini looks like broccoli except for its longer, asparagus-like stem. The taste is described as sweeter than broccoli—a combination of broccoli and asparagus, with a…

The recommended core educational guidelines for family practice residents in maternity and gynecologic care appear in this issue of American Family Physician,1 as well as a joint statement on cooperative practice and hospital privileges,2 both created by a joint task force of…

The decision to initiate anticoagulation treatment is one of the most difficult in the practice of geriatrics. The difficulty stems from concern about the adverse effects of bleeding complications, particularly intracranial hemorrhage. Warfarin is most commonly prescribed for…

The last few weeks of pregnancy are often difficult for patients, especially if the pregnancy goes past the “due date.” TBS has heard of many unusual ways of inducing of labor from anxious moms-to-be and their families, such as walking, cleaning the house, herbal supplements…

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

(Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology) Having a social support system reduces the negative impact of stress on the immune system, according to a study that evaluated the influence of susceptibility to infection and social interactions. A…

The Public Health Service has updated the 1994 guidelines for the use of zidovudine (Retrovir) to reduce the risk for perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The new report is intended to help health care professionals educate pregnant women with HIV…

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has challenged the recent report of a study from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center suggesting that suncreens do not protect against melanoma. The AAD says in a statement that it is concerned about the health consequences of public…

Practical Guide to the Care of the Geriatric Patient | Evidence Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM | Also Received

Where do residents learn about death pronouncement? The hit medical shows on television glamorize life-saving high drama, not the business of declaring someone dead—by yourself in the middle of the night. Medical students and residents receive mixed and varied unofficial…

To keep your asthma under control, you need to know what to do when you have a flare-up of symptoms (sometimes this is called an “exacerbation”). First, you need to know the symptoms that tell you your asthma is getting worse (flaring up). Second, you need to know how to treat…

Tinea is a fungus that can grow on your skin, hair or nails. As it grows, it spreads out in a circle, leaving normal-appearing skin in the middle. This makes it look like a ring. At the edge of the ring, the skin is lifted up by the irritation and looks red and scaly. To some…

Premenstrual syndrome (called PMS for short), has many symptoms. The symptoms can occur a week or so before the menstrual period starts.