June 1, 2019

The pathophysiology of varicose veins involves a genetic predisposition, incompetent valves, weakened vascular walls, and increased intravenous pressure. Established risk factors include family history of venous disease, female sex, older age, chronically increased intra…

Adolescent use of illicit substances imposes burdens to all levels of society. The types of substances that adolescents use have changed over the past decade, with a decrease in alcohol and increase in marijuana and opioid use. Primary care physicians can help identify…

Caregiving is associated with physical, psychological, and financial burdens, and the demand for caregivers is expected to rise during the next few decades. Family physicians can offer practical, individualized interventions such as caregiver assessments that direct the…

Aspirin's routine use for primary prevention has been the subject of controversy because of questionable benefits and increased bleeding risk. Aspirin therapy may reduce the relative risk of a first heart attack or stroke, but this benefit could be outweighed by the risk of…

An altruistic kidney donation and an unexpected nephrectomy.

Key clinical questions and their evidence-based answers directly from the journal’s content, written by and for family physicians.

Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), vitamin K antagonists, and direct oral anticoagulants, when used to prevent recurrent VTE, have a similar impact on all-cause mortality.

In men with chronic pelvic pain and urinary dysfunction who have not responded to standard medical management, extracorporeal shock wave therapy reduces symptoms and increases quality of life. Acupuncture may also provide benefit to some patients.

Overall, marriage enhances health. Men gain greater health benefits from marriage than their wives. Conversely, wives are more negatively affected by a bad marriage than their husbands. In general, the health benefit of marriage is maximized in a good marriage but negated in a…

What are the best screening tools for the evaluation and diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

A child presented with a painful, round, erythematous lesion on the gingiva of the left upper gum above the canine tooth.

These updated guidelines, made without any input from primary care physicians who manage most patients with hyperlipidemia, are more complex than the 2013 guidelines and will likely lead to even more recommendations for statins, ezetimibe (Zetia), and PSK9 inhibitors.

After 12 months, neither aspirin nor EPA, alone or in combination, are any better than placebo at preventing colorectal adenomas in patients with high-risk neoplasia.

The 7,740 patients who took low-dose aspirin experienced 51 fewer vascular deaths, nonfatal myocardial infarctions, or nonfatal ischemic strokes; 29 fewer transient ischemic attacks; and 44 fewer revascularizations than patients who took placebo over a mean of 7.4 years.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) provides a summary of recommendations for cancer screening each year, including any updates and recent data, and advice for when recommendations cannot be made.

This research fails to determine whether the modest potential benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outweigh the risk of resistance. Find out more.

A caregiver is a friend or relative who provides unpaid care for someone with a chronic or disabling condition.

Incorrect disease risk. The article, “The Pregnant Patient: Managing Common Acute Medical Problems” (November 1, 2018, p. 595), contained an error in the third sentence of the second paragraph of the “Dysuria” section in the first column on page 601 regarding the use of…

Strength of evidence. The article, “The Pregnant Patient: Managing Common Acute Medical Problems” (November 1, 2018, p. 595), contained an error in the third sentence of the second paragraph of the “Common Symptoms During Pregnancy” section in the second column on page 597…