January 15, 1999

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a valuable screening procedure that family physicians can perform in their practices.

Trauma patients with neck pain, tenderness on neck palpation, numbness or weakness in the extremities, other distracting injuries, a history of loss of consciousness, or altered mental status due to trauma, alcohol or drugs, should undergo a series of cervical spine radiographs…

The second of a two-part series, this article discusses the prevention of hepatitis C virus infection in many settings, as well as various counseling approaches and current treatment options for patients with hepatitis C.

Family physicians can help prevent serious consequences of alcohol-related problems in many patients with simple screening and brief intervention strategies.

Home living, proper health maintenance and newer surgical techniques to correct cardiac and gastrointestinal anomalies have greatly improved the functional prognosis for infants with Down syndrome.

The clinical utility of an exercise stress test is enhanced by a clear understanding of its indications and the implications of the test results.

The diagnosis of food allergy requires a careful search for possible causes of the patient's symptoms. Once the diagnosis is established, treatment consists of the elimination of causal foods and the medical management of symptoms.

(Canada—Canadian Family Physician, July 1998, p. 1481.) Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with more than 90 percent of duodenal ulcers and 80 percent of gastric ulcers. If the organism is successfully eradicated, the 12-month rate of ulcer recurrence is approximately…

As you can see by the reproduction of the montage below, AFP's cover takes a different twist this issue: a collection of 16 color images seen through a flexible sigmoidoscope. Intermingled are views of normal rectal folds, mucosal vasculature and haustra, and views of…

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

Low-fat dairy products can reduce the risk of colon cancer, according to a study in JAMA. Researchers studied 70 people who were at risk for colon cancer. The control group continued regular diets, while the experimental group increased their consumption of low-fat dairy foods…

The authors of the article on flexible sigmoidoscopy in this issue of American Family Physician1 have crafted an excellent review of what many had hoped would become a diagnostic tool frequently used by generalist physicians. Gastrointestinal symptoms and colorectal cancer…

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) was first identified by molecular cloning in 1988. It was subsequently determined that this agent caused the majority of cases of transfusion-related hepatitis (formerly known as non-A, non-B hepatitis). Identification of the virus spawned the…

TBS struggles daily with the demands of being a mother of three-year-old twins and the responsibility of caring for patients. Today, TBS brought her girls along to the hospital for what was anticipated to be a brief check on two patients who had been admitted earlier in the day…

(50th Annual Scientific Assembly of the American Academy of Family Physicians) A case report of an infant born with ankyloglossia indicates that a frenotomy can be performed safely and effectively in an outpatient setting with excellent results in infants born with…

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has updated its position stand on the quantity and quality of exercise to maintain cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. The revised ACSM guidelines include for the first time a recommendation for flexibility training as a…

While strongly supporting the concept of vaginal birth after previous cesarean (VBAC) delivery, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued an updated practice pattern that recommends a more cautious approach and consideration of individual risk…

A revised policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on screening for elevated blood lead levels in children recommends the use of targeted blood screening instead of universal screening. In the new guidelines, published in the June 1998 issue of Pediatrics…

In this exam, your doctor uses an instrumentcalled a “flexible sigmoidoscope” (say: sig-moydo-scope) to look for problems in your rectumand lower colon. The rectum and lower colonare parts of the large intestine, or bowel.

Your blood test for hepatitis C was positive. This means that you are infected with the hepatitis C virus (called HCV for short). You're not alone—almost 4 million people in this country have HCV. You got HCV through contact with the blood of another person with HCV. HCV…

Experts define “one drink” in this way:

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome number 21. It's named after the doctor who discovered its cause.

Just like any other newborn, your baby will need to be fed, dressed, diapered, cuddled, held, talked to, played with and loved. However, your baby will probably have some health problems that will require some extra care.

Many of the things we think we know about food allergy are really just myths—stories that are commonly known but aren't based on science. This handout will help you learn the facts about food allergies.