March 1, 1999

Gastroesophageal reflux disease can usually be diagnosed on the basis of clinical presentation alone. Management includes lifestyle modifications, drug therapy and, rarely, surgery.

Family physicians are often involved in the care of patients with malignant or benign conditions that may benefit from the use of radiation therapy. Awareness of the potential benefits of this therapeutic modality is essential to ensure that these patients are given all…

Mild congenital hyperplasia is common, affecting from one in 100 persons to one in 1,000 persons in the United States. The hallmark of congenital adrenal hyperplasia is inadequate production of glucocorticoids. It should be considered in patients presenting with near-syncope…

Primary nocturnal enuresis is a common condition in children that warrants evaluation and treatment to prevent long-term psychologic sequelae.

Modern approaches to the diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections in adults are based on risk stratification.

Some herbal products have been associated with bleeding, cardiovascular events, seizures and even death. Herbal products are also known to react with anticoagulants, antidepressants and other medications.

Isolated systolic hypertension and systolic/diastolic hypertension in the elderly should be treated with the expectation that morbidity and mortality will be reduced. Unless contraindicated, low-dose diuretic therapy should probably be used initially in most elderly patients.

When we first started publishing patient information in AFP, we recognized our readers' need for a reliable source of patient information, but we couldn't have guessed how fast our patient information handouts would gain momentum. AFP began publishing patient information in mid…

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

A new kind of lollipop may ease cancer pain. The FDA recently approved a raspberry-flavored narcotic lozenge-on-a-stick, which contains oral fentanyl. For patients who have sudden severe pain despite opioid maintenance therapy, these lollipops can provide long-lasting pain…

Providing appropriate information about the cardiovascular risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a challenging task in a marketplace flush with fixes for cardiovascular disease. These treatments span the breadth of pharmaceutical, medical and “natural…

Certainly the 90s are the decade of the informed consumer. It's expected that patients will want to know all about their treatment, their options, their prognosis, their ability to have consultations, etc., and many of us believe that this shift is good and progressive. At the…

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

(Great Britain—British Journal of General Practice, October 1998, p. 1657.) A long-term study of oral contraceptive use in patients attending British general practices provides reassuring information about the health consequences of these medications. Over 23,000 women…

In many ways, this case represents a typical elder-abuse situation and the challenges that health care professionals face when trying to resolve it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued recommendations for the prevention and control of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and associated chronic disease. These recommendations, published in the October 16, 1998, issue of the recommendations and reports…

Two relatively new medications, naltrexone (Trexan) and acamprosate, show promise in the treatment of patients with alcohol dependence, according to a study sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) under its evidence-based practice program. The…

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Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also called GERD) is the medical term for chronic heartburn. Many people have heartburn at times. It's caused by irriration from stomach acid that backs up into the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your…

A person with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (or CAH) doesn't make enough cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that helps your body in times of physical stress. If you have CAH, your body's adrenal gland tries to make cortisol, but it can't make enough.

Enuresis (say “en-yur-ee-sis”) is the loss of bladder control that leads to the release of urine. There are several kinds of enuresis. Nocturnal enuresis is also called “bed-wetting,” because it happens during the night while a child is sleeping. Bed-wetting is fairly common…

Urinary tract infections (also called “UTIs”) are very common. Each year, more than 7 million doctor's office visits are made because of UTIs. A woman is eight times more likely to get a UTI than a man. The main risk factors for UTIs are the following:

Don't think that herbal health products are safe just because they come from plants. Even some plants are poisonous. Although herbal products are advertised as “natural,” they aren't natural to the human body.