December 1, 2007

Diagnostic criteria for acute otitis media include rapid onset of symptoms, middle ear effusion, and signs and symptoms of middle ear inflammation. Observation is an acceptable option in healthy children with mild symptoms. Antibiotics are recommended in all children younger…

Various modalities are used to accompany therapeutic exercise and manual techniques in physical therapy. A working knowledge of these interventions will facilitate physical therapy prescribing.

An underlying pathology is usually present in children and adolescents with back pain. The physical examination and history guides treatment decisions and the need for radiologic and laboratory studies.

Chronic pancreatitis is the progressive, permanent destruction of the pancreas resulting in exocrine and endocrine insufficiency and, often, chronic disabling pain. Management begins with lifestyle modification and dietary changes. Before proceeding with endoscopic and surgical…

If you're like me, you can get so used to seeing a regular feature in a publication that you don't even notice it after awhile. So, I would like to point out a few regular features that appear in each issue of AFP. Most of them are listed under “Reader Services” in the Table of…

Budget Fight Could Affect Funding for Some Title VII Health Programs | Chronic Diseases Coalition Impacting 2008 Presidential Campaigns | Senate Debates One-Year vs. Two-Year Medicare Physician Payment Update | PCPCC Announces Certification Plan for Patient-Centered Medical…

Are NSAIDs better than acetaminophen for ankle sprains? Extended-release acetaminophen provides equivalent analgesia and return to activity as an NSAID in patients with mild to moderate ankle sprains. All NSAIDs have equivalent analgesic effect.

The guideline from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery on managing sinusitis in adults1 provides physicians with a clear definition of rhinosinusitis. The term rhinosinusitis is preferred because sinusitis almost always involves the nasal cavity.

A combination of aspirin and clopidogrel decreased cardiovascular events in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease and in those with acute coronary syndrome. However, the risk of major bleeding events outweighed the benefits in all high-risk patients except those with…

Patient-controlled opioid analgesia is safe and provides a statistically significant improvement in analgesia in postoperative patients, but the clinical significance of the improvement is marginal.

This statement summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for chlamydial infection and the supporting scientific evidence.

What are the effects of lifestyle interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity?

Improvements of possible practical significance were seen for various clinical measures in studies of group treatment sessions for patients with back pain, arthritis, and rheumatic disease. However, studies on group treatment for patients with nonspecific pain are lacking…

A 59-year-old man presented with a six-week history of erythematous plaques with dusky, scaly centers (see accompanying figure) on his neck, torso, and extremities. The lesions were nonpruritic and appeared simultaneously. Hydrochlorothiazide (Ezide) was the patient's only long…

New guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery are aimed diagnosing and treating patients with uncomplicated rhinosinusitis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released guidelines to assist in identifying and counseling children at risk of overuse injuries and overtraining syndrome.

Ear infections often happen in children with a cold, sore throat, or allergies. These cause the nose and throat to swell and block the tube that drains fluid out of the middle ear (see drawing). Fluid backs up behind the eardrum, and germs spread to the middle ear. This can…

Chronic pancreatitis (PAN-kree-ah-TIE-tis) is when your pancreas (PAN-kree-us) is inflamed. Your pancreas is an organ near your stomach and liver that helps you absorb and digest food. Pancreatitis can damage your pancreas, but there are medicines that can help control your…

The “Answers to This Issue's CME Quiz” located at the end of Practice Guidelines (November 1, 2007, page 1402) were incorrectly formatted. The CME Quiz for this issue contained 13 questions, and the answer box incorrectly listed answers to 14 questions. The correct answer box…