February 15, 2002

Mild jaundice in a term newborn is common and may require only increased frequency of feedings. The decision to institute phototherapy is based on the newborn's age and total serum bilirubin level. Exchange transfusion should be considered in newborns with hemolytic disease…

Disorders of the cranial nerves that serve taste and pain sensation may be at the root of this relatively common condition.

Headaches occur commonly during childhood and become more common and more frequent during adolescence. Once a diagnosis of headache is established, management must be based on the frequency and severity of headache and on the impact on patients' lifestyles.

Unexplained loss of approximately 5 to 10 percent of body weight in the previous one to 12 months can be associated with significant adverse consequences in elderly patients.

Trigger points are hyperirritable spots in taut skeletal muscle that often accompany chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Referred pain is an important characteristic of trigger points. Often, the most effective treatment is trigger-point injection.

Emerging antimicrobial resistance is a serious health problem. A new class of antibiotics, the oxazolindinones, is now available, with a broad spectrum of gram-positive bacterial coverage. Health care professionals must learn to use this antibiotic responsibly to minimize the…

Over the past few months, AFP has added several new sections to the “Clinical Quiz.” In addition to the clinical review articles, AFP's quiz now covers the following recently introduced departments: “Cochrane for Clinicians”; “BMJ Clinical Evidence”; recommendations from the U…

Budget Includes Increases for National Health Service Corps | Medicare Adds Glaucoma Detection Examination to Coverage | New Guide Offers Ways to Manage Chronic Disease Through Nutrition | HHS Secretary Announces New Regulatory Reform Committee | Patient Education Conference…

When considering our diet, we need to be concerned not only with what we eat, but also the frequency of our meals. A study published in BMJ shows that eating small frequent meals is better for cholesterol levels than the three square meals mom always encouraged us to eat…

Headache is a frequent, disabling occurrence in children and adolescents. Migraine affects 11 percent of persons between the ages of five and 15, while tension-type headache occurs in 1 percent of persons in this age group.1 Migraine prevalence peaks at 12 years of age, and…

AT, a third-year resident, was performing a flexible sigmoidoscopy on a 72-year-old woman. Two faculty members were closely studying the images appearing on the television monitor. “I easily passed the scope to 60 centimeters,” explained the resident. “There were no polyps or…

This statement summarizes the current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for chlamydial infection and the supporting scientific evidence, and it updates the 1995 recommendations contained in the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services…

The Committee on Quality Improvement and the Subcommittee on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new clinical practice guideline for the treatment of school-aged children (six to 12 years) with attention-deficit…

CFSAN Web Site for Foodborne Illness | Fluoroquinolone Resistance to <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> | Scientific Exhibit Deadlines for AAFP Assembly | Influence of Media Violence on Children | Call for Papers of Family Practice Research Presentations | AHRQ Report on Breast…

Jaundice is an illness that can happen in the first few days of a baby's life. It turns your baby's skin, eyes, and mouth a yellow color. The yellow color is caused by bilirubin.

Burning mouth syndrome (called BMS, for short) is a common problem. People with BMS often feel like they burned their mouth with hot coffee. They may also have a dry mouth, or a bitter or metallic taste in their mouth.

Yes. About four out of five children sometimes have a headache. The most common cause is a viral infection like colds or flu. Children and adolescents can also get tension-type headaches and migraine headaches. Brain tumors can cause headaches, but these tumors are very rare…