January 15, 2004

Jaundice can be caused by benign or life-threatening disorders. To make the work-up more manageable, it may help to organize the differential diagnosis by prehepatic, intrahepatic, and posthepatic causes.

Family physicians can help patients who are at risk for diabetes delay or prevent complications by teaching them how to modify their lifestyles. By individualizing goals to the patient's preferences and progress, physicians can facilitate long-term results.

Bronchiolitis associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization in infants younger than one year. Supportive care, attention to adequate hydration and, possibly, supplemental oxygen are the basis of therapy. Certain pharmacologic…

Primary hyperparathyroidism usually presents as an incidental finding of asymptomatic hypercalcemia on a chemistry panel. Parathyroidectomy is the definitive treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism.

Pediculosis and scabies are caused by ectoparasites, and patients usually present with itching. Various treatments are available, but environmental measures are essential to prevent reinfestation.

This winter's assortment of viruses promises to fill the waiting rooms of family physicians with patients who have fevers, coughs, sore throats, runny noses, aches and pains, and other symptoms of colds or flu. This issue of AFP provides a collection of patient information…

HHS Announces Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card Program | Future of Family Medicine Project Recommendations Available Online | International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases to Be Held | HHS Funds Disease Surveillance System Along U.S.-Mexico Border…

Where there is depression, there also may be chronic pain. As published in Internal Medicine News, reports on the findings of a survey presented at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting indicate that two thirds of patients with major depression also have chronic…

During the past decade, the United States has been part of the worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes. From 1990 to 2000, the percentage of U.S. adults with diabetes rose from 4.9 to 7.3 percent, an astounding increase of 49 percent.1 Now more than 17 million Americans have…

It's been said that we see the world not as it is but as we are. I think of that today as I pay a call on Muriel Hollander. “I'm great!” she tells me, gray and white hair cascading over a hospital pillow, blue eyes bright and eager. A 92-year-old widow, Mrs. Hollander lives…

This statement summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on counseling to promote breastfeeding, a new topic for the USPSTF.

Reducing sodium intake does lead to a slightly lower average blood pressure. However, no evidence from controlled trials proves that reducing sodium intake decreases morbidity or mortality, or proves that modest sodium restriction is harmful.

Despite design limitations common to drug therapy trials for c-IBS (e.g., subjective outcomes, high placebo response rate), tegaserod is at least somewhat effective at relieving troublesome symptoms in women. Considering the modest benefits and high cost, tegaserod is best used…

A number of investigators have developed and validated clinical decision rules for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

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

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently published a clinical management guideline on cervical insufficiency. This report also includes evidence for screening asymptomatic at-risk women.

ACOG Opinion Paper on Elective Surgery | CDC Report on Physical Activity Among Children | AHRQ Report on Spending for Prescribed Medicines

You don't always need high-intensity exercise to improve fitness and decrease health risks. Increasing the amount of moderate physical activity (like walking or gardening) has clear health benefits. Start with simple, everyday activities that are fun and easy for you to do…

Start easy, with a food diary. Use a chart or a journal to write down everything you eat or drink every day. Write down the date, the time of day, and about how much of every food or beverage you ate and drank. Be complete and honest. Stick with the food diary. This is the most…

At the front of your neck, behind the thyroid gland, lie the four small parathyroid glands. (Say: pair-ah-thigh-royd) The hormone they make is called parathyroid hormone. This hormone keeps the right levels of calcium and phosphorus in your blood and bones. It also helps your…

Head lice are small, wingless insects (bugs) that can get on the hair and scalp of humans. Anyone can get head lice—usually from head-to-head contact, but perhaps also from sharing hats, combs, and brushes. Head lice do not jump or fly.

Antibiotics are strong medicines that can stop some infections and save lives. But antibiotics can cause more harm than good if they are not used the right way. You can protect yourself and your family by knowing when you should use antibiotics and when you shouldn't.

Influenza (also called the flu) is a viral infection in the nose, throat, and lungs. About 10 to 20 percent of Americans get the flu each year. Some people get very sick. Each year, about 130,000 people go to a hospital with the flu, and 20,000 people die because of the flu and…

Colds and the flu (also called influenza) have many of the same symptoms. A cold is generally mild, while the flu tends to be more severe.

Acute bronchitis is an infection of the bronchial tree. The bronchial (say: “brawn-keeull”) tree is made up of the tubes that carry air into your lungs. When these tubes get infected, they swell up, and mucus (thick fluid) forms. This makes it hard for you to breathe. You might…

Pharyngitis (say: “fare-en-jy-tis”)—which is what your doctor calls a sore throat—can be caused by many things. Sometimes, when mucus from your sinuses drains into your throat, the drainage can make your throat feel sore. Viruses (such as those that cause the common cold) and…