July 15, 2001

High blood pressure is a common complication of pregnancy. For guidance, family physicians should familiarize themselves with the report of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program's Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy.

Asymmetric joint space narrowing, subchondral sclerosis, osteophytes and subluxation are the radiographic hallmarks of osteoarthritis.

The most common cause of annular lesions in adults is dermatophytosis. However, physicians must consider other diagnoses because many conditions present in much the same manner.

The decision-making capacity of patients who display an abrupt change in mental status, refuse recommended treatment, consent too hastily to treatment or have a known risk factor for impaired decision making should be assessed carefully. By using a directed clinical interview…

This issue's cover article, “Radiographic Assessment of Osteoarthritis,” beginning on page277, represents the first in a series of “Radiologic Decision-Making” articles coordinated by two Kansas City–based family medicine residencies. The new series coordinators are Mark Meyer…

“Don't do what I do, do what I tell you to do.” A study published in Southern Medical Journal reviewed patient visits for acute sinusitis in a teaching practice over the course of two years to see whether residents or staff physicians prescribe broader-spectrum antibiotics more…

HHS Releases a Clinical Guide on the Treatment of Women with HIV | CSAT Offers Grants for Rural Drug Treatment Centers | Federal Agencies Mark 20th Anniversary of First AIDS Case | New Web Site Provides Information on Food-borne Illnesses | NIH Establishes National Family…

In an article1 in this issue of American Family Physician, Dr. Zamorski and I discuss the conclusions and recommendations of the most recent National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Working Group Report on High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy.2 That report reached…

Very early this morning, two of JTL's multiparous patients—at separate hospitals, about 10 miles apart—went into labor, and, at about 5-cm dilation, requested epidural anesthesia. Although it was 3 a.m., rather than give the order for the epidural (and remain in bed), JTL chose…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed guidelines for evaluating and treating adults with acute respiratory illnesses. The goal of the principles is to provide clinicians with practical strategies for limiting antibiotic use to the patients who are…

AHRQ Guide on Improving the Quality of Health Care | FDA Approves System for In-Stent Restenosis

Blood pressure is the pressure in the arteries in your body. We measure blood pressure by putting a cuff around your upper arm. Then we listen to your blood flow with a stethoscope. High blood pressure is also called “hypertension.”