December 1, 2015

Allergic rhinitis can affect quality of life and productivity, and can exacerbate other conditions such as asthma. Optimal treatment includes allergen avoidance and pharmacotherapy. Intranasal corticosteroids are the first-line therapy for symptoms affecting quality of life. If…

Newborns with respiratory distress commonly present with tachypnea, grunting, retractions, nasal flaring, and cyanosis. The initial evaluation includes a detailed history and physical examination. Chest radiography is helpful in the diagnosis, and laboratory testing may be…

Elevated white blood cell counts have several potential etiologies, including malignant and nonmalignant causes. Normal leukocyte ranges depend on age and pregnancy status. Changes in the normal distribution of cell types can point to possible causes of leukocytosis, such as…

Hospitals' Use of Breastfeeding Standard Increases Dramatically | ACIP Reconfigures Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents | CMS Alerts Physicians to Errors in Claims Processing for Vaccines, Mammography | AAFP Launches Tobacco and Nicotine Toolkit for Members

OTC access to oral contraceptives must be one component of a multipronged strategy aimed at improving access to all contraceptive methods to help women better plan their pregnancies using the method best for them. The efforts by professional societies to articulate the safety…

Having patients chew gum reduces the time to first flatus and time to first bowel movement, as well as the length of hospitalization by about half a day.

Psychological therapy, specifically cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), has been shown to reduce the severity of medically unexplained physical symptoms in patients with somatoform disorders. The effect is small to moderate in magnitude, but in these studies CBT was as acceptable…

Social media and the Internet can be valuable resources for patients, especially for those who have been estranged from their families.

Chlorthalidone produces slightly greater reductions in blood pressure compared with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), but it is associated with greater declines in serum potassium levels. Chlorthalidone lowers the risk of cardiovascular events about 18% more than HCTZ at the same…

Five hours after birth, scattered petechiae developed over the trunk and extremities of a newborn.

Treating mild hypertension over five years decreases the risk of stroke, cardiovascular (CV) death, and overall mortality in a small proportion of patients.

An oral appliance does not improve daytime sleepiness or other measures of a good night's sleep. It does, however, decrease apnea scores, snoring, and restless legs. Although not studied, these improvements may be valuable for bed partners who sleep each night enduring patients…

For the evaluation of chest pain in intermediate-risk patients, CCTA is comparable with myocardial perfusion imaging in its ability to select patients for invasive management. Both modalities are also similar when it comes to downstream resource use and adverse cardiovascular…

The American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Society of Hypertension (ASH) have released a guideline on the management of hypertension in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). It updates a previous AHA guideline to reflect…

Studies show that 1 in 6 patients were helped with diabetic neuropathy and 1 in 8 were helped with postherpetic neuralgia. Find out more.