April 1, 2001

Renal colic may be suspected based on the history and physical examination, but diagnostic imaging is essential to confirm or exclude the presence of urinary calculi. The cornerstones of ambulatory management are adequate analgesia, timely urologic consultation and close follow…

Asthma affects as many as 5 million children in this country and is associated with considerable morbidity. The four components of asthma management in children include regular assessment and monitoring, control of symptoms, pharmacologic therapy and patient education

Melanoma should be suspected when a mole is asymmetric and has an irregular border, variable color and increasing diameter. All suspected melanomas require excisional biopsy because tumor thickness is a primary factor in determining prognosis.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is valuable for the periodic screening of patients for colorectal cancer. Extensive training in endoscopic maneuvering, colorectal anatomy and pathologic recognition is required.

Measures for the primary prevention of coronary artery disease in women include exercise, hypertension treatment, smoking cessation and aspirin therapy. The roles of lipid-lowering agents and hormone replacement therapy in primary prevention are not well established.

AFP is putting the finishing touches on a new CD-ROM product that is going to surpass every previous version in terms of giving readers what they want most—a repository of six years of AFP with enhanced search tools that locate information in short order. The CD contains…

Funds for NIH Research, Health Professions at Issue in Budget | Physicians with Heart Airlift Returns from Vietnam | Physician Organizations Favor IOM's Call for Action | AAFP Hails Bill to Allow FDA Regulation of Tobacco | HRSA Announces $40 Million in CAP Grants | Multimedia…

Humans have a difficult time walking or even standing after prolonged bed rest. Not so the bears, who wake up from a lengthy hibernation (about 130 days) with the ability to stand, walk and climb immediately. According to an article in The Lancet, bears maintain their muscle…

New therapies, new diagnostic tools and even new diseases threaten to overwhelm busy family physicians. Keeping up is hard work. Compounding the task is the fact that physicians have to learn some diseases twice—once for women and once for men.

JTL has always enjoyed the challenge of caring for patients with chronic pain syndromes. Yet, every so often, a patient presents whose level of dysfunction exceeds JTL's ability to provide a satisfactory therapeutic plan. JTL recently met a long-time sufferer of migraine…

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

(Canada—Canadian Family Physician, September 2000, p. 1759.) The radial head can be fractured by a direct blow, but is more commonly injured by a fall on the outstretched hand with the forearm in supination. The resulting force probably causes damage by impact of the radial…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a statement on the screening and management of phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU, a form of hyperphenylalaninemia, is a rare metabolic disorder that is caused by a deficiency of the liver enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase.

Safe Transportation of Children in Pickup Trucks | FDA Approves Tacrolimus for the Treatment of Eczema | FDA Approval of Visicol for Colonoscopy | AAP Statement on the Hazards of Snowmobiles | ACS Booklet on U.S. Cancer Facts and Figures | FDA Approval of Ramipril for…

This physician's questions fall under the broad category of what physicians should tell about themselves to patients and, in this case, what physicians should tell patients about their own illnesses.

Asthma is a long-term disease. If you have asthma, there are times when your airways, or the air passages of your lungs, become inflamed (see picture). When this happens, your airways get red and swollen. They become narrow, making it harder for you to breathe. You may also…

Melanoma is a kind of skin cancer. Most other skin cancers don't spread, but melanoma can spread through the whole body. If it is found early, it can be cured. If it is found late, it may be fatal.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a way to look at the colon (the large bowel) using a flexible, lighted tube to see the inside of the bowel for any abnormal growths or inflammation of the colon wall. The anal canal also is examined with a short tube as part of this exam for colon…

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States. American women are four to six times more likely to die of heart disease than of breast cancer. Here are some ways you can lower your risk of having a heart attack.

The article “Use of Systemic Agents in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris” (October 15, 2000, page 1823) contained an error in the dosage information for isotretinoin.