March 15, 2005

Mild elevations in alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels can reveal serious underlying conditions or have transient and benign etiologies. Family physicians can determine the potential causes of liver transaminase elevations and initiate appropriate management…

Common causes of vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, acute vestibular neuronitis or labyrinthitis, Ménière's disease, migraine, and anxiety disorders. In most cases, vertigo can be diagnosed clinically and treated in the primary care setting.

Treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs decreases cardiovascular events, but a reduction in all-cause mortality has been found only in patients with preexisting coronary heart disease. The only dietary intervention associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality is the…

Urinalysis provides clues in the diagnosis of calculi, urinary tract infection, and malignancy. The dipstick test can detect conditions such as hematuria andproteinuria. Identification of casts, cells, crystals, and bacteria by microscopic examination may help physicians…

In our last issue, I alluded to the arrival of Joyce Merriman as AFP’s executive editor, but I didn’t have the space to do Joyce or her position justice. Both are new arrivals, and both deserve some introduction.

Online Registration Available for 2005 ABFM Examinations | Register Online for the STFM 38th Annual Spring Conference | AAFP Collaborates on Obesity Management Journal | AAFP Provides Web Site for 2005 State Chapters’ Legislative Priorities | CDC Web Site Focuses on Autism and…

We won’t have a simple solution for the common cold any time soon, according to a recent CNN.com report. Researchers say the high number of viruses—approximately 200—that can potentially cause respiratory infection make it virtually impossible to find a universal cure. Now…

Increasing numbers of patients in the United States are using herbal therapies and dietary supplements; between 1990 and 1997, there was a fivefold increase in the use of herbal therapies.1 This increase is mirrored in children: more than 50 percent of all young children and…

I never trust a simple diagnosis, especially in a complicated patient. Seventy-five-year-old Esmeralda Gonzalez, who usually sees a colleague of mine, visits me today because of a problem that just can’t wait. I know Mrs. Gonzalez. She’s blind and has diabetes, hypertension…

This statement summarizes the current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lung cancer and the supporting scientific evidence, and it updates the 1996 recommendations contained in the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2d ed.

Traditionally, physical examination maneuvers, such as the Lachman test, the pivot shift, the anterior drawer, and the McMurray test, have been recommended for patients with acute or subacute knee injury.

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

New guidelines for diagnostic testing in patients with nonacute headache have been released by the U.S. Headache Consortium and endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the American Headache Society (AHS), the…

Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a systemic, sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a variety of the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. A report on LGV is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Letter

Vertigo is a type of dizziness. If you have vertigo, you may feel like you are moving or spinning. It is not the same as feeling like you are off balance or about to faint.

Heart attacks and strokes are the number one cause of death in the United States. Having high cholesterol levels puts you at greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke. Your risk also is higher if you: