September 1, 2001

This two-part article discusses an evidence-based guideline for primary care physicians to use in evaluating and treating patients with heart failure. Part I provides background information and offers guidance on appropriate diagnostic testing.

A number of new technologies to improve cervical cancer screening have been developed in recent years. Whether these tests offer meaningful advantages over the conventional Papanicolaou smear is a source of significant controversy.

Minor but troubling foot problems are common complaints in primary care practice. A variety of products are available over the counter for the treatment of common foot problems.

Management involves a diagnostic evaluation for the cause of each symptom when possible, treatment of the identified cause, and concomitant treatment of the symptom using nonpharmacologic and adjunctive pharmacologic measures.

Disorder-specific questionnaires can be used to rate core symptoms that occur at home and in school. Other key elements in the evaluation include documenting the type and severity of symptoms, verifying normal vision and hearing, screening for comorbid psychologic conditions…

AAFP Releases Recommendations for Distribution of Influenza Vaccine | Robert Graham, M.D., Is Selected as Director of CPTA | HHS Announces Grants to Improve HIV/AIDS Care for Women | Bayer Withdraws the Anticholesterol Drug Baycol from the Market

Once a year AFP's editors gather for a conference at the AAFP headquarters in Leawood, Kan. It's a time when professional staff editors join with physician editors to compare notes on editorial policies and procedures, define editorial philosophies, and generate new ideas. It's…

The article by Nuovo and associates1 highlights some of the successes of cervical cancer screening and discusses some of the remaining dilemmas. Although use of the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear has significantly decreased the rate of cervical cancer, there is still much work to be…

“But Doctor, my foot pain can't be caused by old age—my other foot is just as old, and it doesn't hurt at all!” According to a report from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS), foot pain is not a result of the natural aging process. Even so, many seniors…

While the secondary prevention of osteoporosis through the use of bone density screening is increasingly popular, JTL still most enjoys counseling his adolescent and pre-adolescent female patients and their parents about strategies for enhancing bone mass and minimizing risk of…

If acute maxillary sinusitis is defined as positive radiographs or positive sinus aspiration cultures, limited evidence indicates that therapy with either amoxicillin or penicillin for seven to 14 days is modestly effective.

(Great Britain— The Practitioner, March 2001, p. 224.) Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, relapsing and remitting, superficial inflammatory bowel condition that spreads proximally from the rectum and can present with a spectrum of severity from acute total colitis to isolated…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assembled a panel of national health experts, including physicians with expertise in internal, family, emergency and infectious disease medicine, to develop evidence-based guidelines for evaluating and treating adults with…

CDC Report on Human Exposure to Chemicals | Minocycline Approved for Adult Periodontitis

On rare occasions, it falls to the family physician to assess a patient's suicidality.

By Martin Brodie and Steven Schachter. Pp. 71. Price, $19.95. Health Press, 870 Market St. Ste. 720, San Francisco, CA 94102. 2000. Phone: 800–538–1287. ISBN: 1–899–54127–6.

Caution: If you have blood vessel disease in your feet or have diabetes, talk to your doctor about any foot problems. Your feet need special care.

ADHD stands for attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder. This disorder is also known as hyperactivity, or attention deficit disorder (ADD). At least 9 percent of school-age children have ADHD.

An item in the “CME Calendar,” listed under Georgia (July 1, 2001, page 46, and July 15, 2001, page 232), gave incorrect contact information. For information about registering for this year's AAFP Scientific Assembly in Atlanta, October 3–7, the correct number to call is 800…