September 15, 2004

Updated guidelines for the treatment of asthma recommend inhaled corticosteroids as first-line treatment in all patients with persistent asthma. Other medications, such as cromolyn, theophylline, and leukotriene-receptor antagonists, should have a more limited role in the…

Normal pressure hydrocephalus is an uncommon cause of dementia but is often treatable. Removing excess fluid from the brain may alleviate symptoms such as gait instability, dementia, and urinary incontinence.

Glomerular filtration rate is the best overall index of kidney function. It should be estimated using prediction equations that take into account the serum creatinine concentration and some or all of these variables: age, sex, race, and body size. In most circumstances…

Serial testing with a brief questionnaire followed by a more detailed questionnaire (if the first test is positive) is a good strategy for detecting major depressive episodes in primary care settings. Although routine screening for dementia in older adults is not recommended…

Believe it or not, AFP does count. In addition to our everyday tasks as editors, we keep close tabs on numbers. We count. We count readers. We count hours of continuing medical education (CME). We count CME quiz card returns. We count reader feedback cards received. We count…

AFMO Launches Web Site for Family Medicine Research | CMS Eliminates Grace Period for Expired Codes | AAFP Publishes Resource for Starting a Medical Practice | AAFP Board Approves Recommendation to Double EB CME Credit | CDC Releases State-Specific Breastfeeding Data | FDA…

Sadly, many of us have been bullied or have witnessed bullying. A new Web site called “Take a Stand, Lend a Hand, Stop Bullying Now!” answers questions about bullying and offers suggestions for ways to prevent it. As reported in FDA Consumer, the site teaches children and…

Heart disease is the leading killer of American women.1 One in three American women dies of heart disease, and related health care costs are estimated at more than $57 billion per year.2 Yet most women don’t know that heart disease is their greatest health threat. Research…

The effects of insurance and having a usual source of care are additive. Efforts to improve health care access for all should provide a medical home and health insurance.

When beginning a week on inpatient service, I always wonder what catastrophe might befall us—and today my fears are realized. Our first patient is a 21-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes who was transferred out of the intensive care unit yesterday after yet another bout of…

This statement summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection based on the USPSTF’s examination of evidence specific to asymptomatic persons for HCV testing and treatment.

Telithromycin is similar to azithromycin and clarithromycin in side effects, dosing, and cost, but with enhanced activity against S. pneumoniae. Although 30 to 40 percent of S. pneumoniae cases are thought to be resistant to penicillin and/or macrolides, additional clinical…

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

According to a meta-analysis by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Epilepsy Society (AES), several new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are effective in treating selected patients with partial or mixed seizure disorders, but evidence for their efficacy in…

Influenza Vaccination Among Health Care Workers

Updated Guideline on Jaundice in Newborns

Treatment of Infants with HIV-1 Infection

Behavioral Interventions to Modify Physical Activity

Preventive Services Selector Tool for PDAs

Consumer Advisory on Colloidal Silver Products

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (say: hi-drosef-uh-lus; or NPH for short) is a rare, but sometimes treatable, cause of dementia. It mainly affects people older than 60. It does not run in families. Sometimes it happens after a brain infection, such as meningitis. Other times, it…