January 15, 2005

Most patients who present with menstrual pain can be treated empirically for a presumptive diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the initial treatment of choice. Oral contraceptives and other hormonal therapies can be considered, and some…

Vague musculoskeletal complaints in hospitalized, critically ill patients may be attributed to multiple underlying disease processes rather than a deficiency of vitamin D. However, failure to diagnose an underlying vitamin D deficiency places the patient at risk for continued…

Although epistaxis usually responds to compression, treatment options such as topical vasoconstriction, cautery, or packing must be considered when bleeding persists.

The first step in the evaluation of patients with urinary incontinence is to rule out reversible conditions, conditions requiring special evaluation, and overflow bladder.Pelvic muscle exercises are the best treatment for urge incontinence; medicationscan be an effective…

The following list contains the names of those who served from December 1, 2003, to November 30, 2004, as reviewers of manuscripts submitted to American Family Physician. These reviewers have donated a significant amount of their time to reviewing manuscripts for AFP. We are…

Even though AFP publishes clinical reviews rather than primary research, AFP has long upheld its editorial standards through a rigorous peer-review process similar to those of research journals. Editor Jay Siwek, M.D., and his assistant, Taiya Olayinka, oversee the peer-review…

IHI Launches National Campaign to Save 100,000 Lives in U.S. Hospitals | NPSF Launches Interactive Educational Web Site | AHRQ Launches Bioterrorism Preparedness Listserv | NHLBI Issues Alert to Continue Transfusions in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease | AAFP Sends Letter to…

Preschoolers need to hit the playground running, according to a study that recently appeared in Pediatrics. The study found that most three- to five-year-olds are not getting even half of the minimum two hours of physical activity per day that are recommended to keep them…

Humans, like all vertebrates, require calcium for signal and muscle contraction, and to build and maintain skeletons. We also need vitamin D to maintain calcium homeostasis, as outlined in Lyman’s1 review of vitamin D deficiency among hospitalized patients in this issue of…

When Ricardo Revelo, an intense, iron-fisted father, comes in for a physical, I’m startled to hear him ask about his 13-year-old son’s urine test. “Urine test?” I ask. “The one we did last week,” he replies. Huh? I haven’t seen Manuel in over a month. Nonetheless, I check our…

This statement summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for visual impairment in children younger than five years and the supporting evidence and updates the 1996 recommendations contained in the Guide to Clinical Preventive…

Omalizumab is an immunomodulatory therapy for the control of symptoms in patients with moderate to severe allergic asthma uncontrolled with conventional therapy. Given its high cost, the requirement that it be administered in a physician’s office, and side effects, it is…

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

The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) has released evidence-based practice guidelines for the early detection and diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Guidelines for Prescribing Antiepileptic Drugs

Diagnosis of Celiac Disease

Guidelines for Pediatric Intermediate Care

Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Letter

Most women have some crampy pain with their periods, especially as teenagers. The pain often is low in the pelvis and starts just before your period or at the beginning of your period. It often lasts one to three days. The pain can be bad enough to keep you from doing things…

Nosebleeds happen when the lining of your nose is hurt or gets dry. This damages the blood vessels in your nose.

Pelvic floor muscles help prevent urinary incontinence. Incontinence happens when the pelvic floor muscles get weak and cause you to leak urine. Pregnancy, childbirth, and being overweight can weaken pelvic floor muscles in women. In men, surgery for prostate cancer is usually…