December 15, 2012

Primary care physicians are well situated to discuss risks with adolescent patients and offer appropriate interventions. Issues that affect adolescents include unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, violence, obesity, substance abuse, and depression. Effective…

Cryosurgery can be used to treat a wide range of benign, premalignant, and certain malignant skin conditions with high cure rates. It is widely used in primary care because of its safety, effectiveness, low cost, ease of use, and good cosmetic results, and because it usually…

Left untreated, chlamydia can result in serious complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and epididymitis, as well as ocular conditions such as conjunctivitis and trachoma. First-line treatment options include azithromycin and doxycycline; alternatives…

Unclear statements about effectiveness of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers. The Clinical Evidence Handbook (July 15, 2012, p. 182) contained two statements about the combination of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor…

Shortage of Primary Care Physicians Expected to Exceed 50,000 by 2025 | ACGME Moves Forward with Plan for Single Accreditation System for MD, DO Physicians | Health Literacy Study Seeking Primary Care Practices to Test Communication Strategies | Public Comment Sought on…

Case study: A 73-year-old woman comes to your office for routine follow-up for hypertension. She lives alone in an apartment and walks slowly, requiring the use of a cane. She is otherwise healthy and alert. Her most recent eye examination was three years ago.

What are the effects of pharmacological and psychological treatments for depression in children and adolescents? What are the effects of combination and complementary treatments for depression in children and adolescents? What are the effects of treatments for refractory…

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

Linagliptin reduces A1C levels to a lesser extent than first-line therapy (metformin) and is significantly more expensive than metformin and sulfonylureas. Importantly, its ability to affect diabetes-related morbidity and mortality is not known.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) recently reviewed guidelines on colorectal cancer screening available from the American Cancer Society/U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer/American College of Radiology, Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, U.S…

What are the risks of combined oral contraceptive use in patients with cardiovascular risk factors?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends exercise or physical therapy and vitamin D supplementation to prevent falls in community-dwelling adults 65 years or older who are at increased risk of falls.

Between firmly held beliefs in tight glycemic control and the available empiric data lies a wide chasm. In a review of 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing tight control versus usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, overall, tight control did not…

In 1993, the DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial) demonstrated that better glycemic control reduces microvascular disease in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.1 Ten years later, the EDIC (Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications) trial…