March 1, 2010

Several interventions have been proven effective in the treatment of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The choice of therapy depends on the severity of the exacerbation. Effective management combines relieving acute symptoms and lowering the risk of…

Deciding which antipsychotic medication to prescribe should depend on the potential for adverse effects in individual patients. This article reviews some of the more important adverse effects and comparative risks.

The diagnosis of tongue conditions includes a thorough history and examination of tongue morphology. Many conditions do not require treatment, although referral should be considered in patients with lesions of unclear etiology.

Urine drug screenings may be required for employment, military or sports participation, or health reasons. Immunoassay testing is the preferred initial test, with a high predictive value for marijuana and cocaine. Positive tests should be confirmed using gas chromatography/mass…

Surgeon General Releases Goals and USPSTF Updates Recommendations on Obesity | MedPAC to Ask Congress for 1 Percent Rate Increase in 2011 Medicare Physician Payment | Obama Reiterates Need for Health Care Reform, Budget Invests in Primary Care | Obama Administration Issues…

The authors of “Adverse Effects of Antipsychotic Medications” in this issue of American Family Physician aptly state that, “The use of antipsychotic medications entails a difficult trade-off between the benefit of alleviating psychotic symptoms and the risk of troubling…

Topical vitamin D analogues, corticosteroids, anthralin, and tazarotene (Tazorac) are all more effective than placebo. Vitamin D and high-potency corticosteroids were equally effective when compared head to head, but were more effective in combination than either product alone…

In children with persistent asthma who are already taking inhaled corticosteroids, the addition of a LABA does not lower the rate of exacerbations requiring oral steroids, rescue medication, or hospitalizations, but it improves measurable lung function.

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

Sometimes it may seem easier to inject a subacromial bursa or aspirate a knee joint than to engage in shared decision making with your patients about the use of aspirin for coronary artery disease prevention or a PSA test for prostate cancer screening. The path that led to the…

In 2009, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) published a focused update of the ACC/AHA 2005 Guideline Update for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is also known as emphysema (em-feh-SEE-ma) or chronic bronchitis (bron-KI-tis). It is a lung problem that is usually caused by cigarette smoking. The air spaces in the lung are damaged, and it is hard for air to go in and out.