July 15, 2014

Childhood constipation is almost always functional, and the cause can usually be diagnosed with a medical history and physical examination. Further evaluation may be needed in a child with red flags. The treatment of functional constipation focuses on parental education…

Fever of unknown origin can be assumed in a febrile patient when no diagnosis is reached after a reasonable inpatient or outpatient investigation. Common causes typically include infections, malignancies, or noninfectious inflammatory diseases. The initial evaluation should…

Processes that cause a distortion in body f luid mechanics tend to cause transudative effusions, whereas localized inf lammatory or malignant processes are often associated with exudative effusions. Chest radiography can confirm the diagnosis. Thoracentesis, preferably with…

ONC Lays Out 10-Year Plan for Nation's Health Information Technology Future | AHRQ Reports Show Quality of U.S. Health Care Is Fair But Slowly Improving | Report Describes Ongoing Gaps in Women's Health Care as Rollout of ACA Continues | Webcast Offers Free ICD-10 Training

Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the U.S. population has not been fully realized in the physician workforce. Family physicians, the most widely distributed of the physician specialties, are on the front line of a physician trend toward greater racial and ethnic…

What are the effects of treatments for recurrent idiopathic epistaxis in children?

A delayed prescription approach in children and adults with acute respiratory tract infections, combined with explicit instructions for symptom control, is effective in decreasing antibiotic use, while not adversely affecting patient satisfaction or symptom duration or severity.

In patients screened for lung cancer using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), more than 18% of all lung cancers found are slow-growing and will not cause symptoms or harm during an average 6.4 years of follow-up. This risk of overdiagnosis should be part of the discussion…

Most patients receiving thyroid replacement therapy with less than 125 mcg of levothyroxine per day can wait two years before monitoring thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels if their results are normal. Fewer than one in 10 patients who take less than 125 mcg of…

Intra-articular corticosteroid injections can be used to reduce pain by about 20% in the short term (one to three weeks) in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) in adults 55 to 80 years of age who have a 30 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.

M.B., a woman with diabetes mellitus, presents to your office for an annual well visit. M.B. reports having smoked one and a half packs of cigarettes daily for 20 years. Her neighbor was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, and M.B. requests to be tested for lung cancer, too.

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

Based on a systematic evidence review, this guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP) presents recommendations on screening, monitoring, and treatment of stage 1 to 3 chronic kidney disease in adults.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was premature in issuing a level B recommendation for annual computed tomography (CT)–based lung cancer screening.1 This relatively aggressive stance is surprising because the USPSTF typically issues very measured recommendations…

In December 2013, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a level B recommendation in support of annual computed tomography (CT)–based lung cancer screening in specific high-risk populations, defined as persons 55 to 80 years of age who have a smoking history of…

Pleural effusion (PLUR-al ef-YOO-shun) is when fluid collects in the tissue between your lungs and the wall of your chest.

This is a fever of 101°F (or 38.3°C) or higher that lasts for more than three weeks without a clear reason.