• Articles

    Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels in the Asymptomatic Patient

    PAUL T. GIBONEY

    Mild elevations in alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels can reveal serious underlying conditions or have transient and benign etiologies. Family physicians can determine the potential causes of liver transaminase elevations and initiate appropriate...

    Treatment of Vertigo

    RANDY SWARTZ, PAXTON LONGWELL

    Common causes of vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, acute vestibular neuronitis or labyrinthitis, Ménière's disease, migraine, and anxiety disorders. In most cases, vertigo can be diagnosed clinically and treated in the primary care setting.

    Treatment of Cholesterol Abnormalities

    ANDREW R. LOCKMAN, ANDREA D. TRIBASTONE, KAREN V. KNIGHT, JOHN P. FRANKO

    Treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs decreases cardiovascular events, but a reduction in all-cause mortality has been found only in patients with preexisting coronary heart disease. The only dietary intervention associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality is the...

    Urinalysis: A Comprehensive Review

    JEFF A. SIMERVILLE, WILLIAM C. MAXTED, JOHN J. PAHIRA

    Urinalysis provides clues in the diagnosis of calculi, urinary tract infection, and malignancy. The dipstick test can detect conditions such as hematuria andproteinuria. Identification of casts, cells, crystals, and bacteria by microscopic examination may help physicians...

    Inside AFP

    Introducing Joyce Merriman, AFP’s New Executive Editor

    ROBERT L. EDSALL

    In our last issue, I alluded to the arrival of Joyce Merriman as AFP’s executive editor, but I didn’t have the space to do Joyce or her position justice. Both are new arrivals, and both deserve some introduction.

    Newsletter

    Newsletter

    GENEVIEVE RESSEL

    Online Registration Available for 2005 ABFM Examinations | Register Online for the STFM 38th Annual Spring Conference | AAFP Collaborates on Obesity Management Journal | AAFP Provides Web Site for 2005 State Chapters’ Legislative Priorities | CDC Web Site Focuses on Autism...

    Quantum Sufficit

    Quantum Sufficit

    AMBER HUNTZINGER, LAURA COUGHLIN

    We won’t have a simple solution for the common cold any time soon, according to a recent CNN.com report. Researchers say the high number of viruses—approximately 200—that can potentially cause respiratory infection make it virtually impossible to find a universal cure. Now...

    Editorials

    Dietary Supplement Use in Children: Concerns of Efficacy and Safety

    PAULA GARDINER

    Increasing numbers of patients in the United States are using herbal therapies and dietary supplements; between 1990 and 1997, there was a fivefold increase in the use of herbal therapies.1 This increase is mirrored in children: more than 50 percent of all young children and...

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Diary

    PAUL GROSS

    I never trust a simple diagnosis, especially in a complicated patient. Seventy-five-year-old Esmeralda Gonzalez, who usually sees a colleague of mine, visits me today because of a problem that just can’t wait. I know Mrs. Gonzalez. She’s blind and has diabetes, hypertension,...

    U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

    Lung Cancer Screening: Recommendation Statement

    This statement summarizes the current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lung cancer and the supporting scientific evidence, and it updates the 1996 recommendations contained in the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2d ed.

    Point-of-Care Guides

    Evaluating the Patient with a Knee Injury

    MARK H. EBELL

    Traditionally, physical examination maneuvers, such as the Lachman test, the pivot shift, the anterior drawer, and the McMurray test, have been recommended for patients with acute or subacute knee injury.

    Photo Quiz

    An Ulcerating Foot Lesion

    ANITA A. ALVAREZ-CRUZ, DEEPA A. VASUDEVAN

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

    POEMs

    Should Atenolol Be Used for Hypertension?

    HENRY BARRY

    Acid-Suppressive Therapy and Increased Risk of CAP

    DAVID SLAWSON

    ARBs vs. ACE Inhibitors to Prevent Nephropathy Progression

    MARK EBELL

    Does Melatonin Improve Sleep in Asthmatic Women?

    HENRY BARRY

    Role of Antibiotics in Secondary Prevention of Heart Disease

    ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

    Amlodipine for CAD and Normal Blood Pressure

    DAVID SLAWSON

    Smoking Increases the Risk of Infection

    ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

    Preventing Blindness in Diabetic Hypertensive Patients

    MARK EBELL

    Tips from Other Journals

    LEEP and Preterm Births

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Effects of Spanking in Early Childhood

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Prostate Cancer Screening—What Is Enough or Too Much?

    BILL ZEPF

    Maternal Depression and Failure to Thrive

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Are Family Meals Good for the Health of Adolescents?

    KARL E. MILLER

    Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Geriatric Patients

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Benefits of Perioperative Lipid-Lowering Therapy

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Neonate CBC and Maternal Chorioamnionitis

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Surgery: Advisory Statement

    BILL ZEPF

    Usefulness of Family History in Cholesterol Screening

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Tai Chi to Improve Sleep in Older Patients

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Surgery in Patients with Chronic Venous Ulceration

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Rethinking Folate Therapy After Coronary Stenting

    BILL ZEPF

    Parent Reports of ADHD Treatment Outcomes

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Cephalosporins vs. Penicillin for Treatment of Strep Throat

    BILL ZEPF

    Comparison of ACE Inhibitor Therapy in Older Adults

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Safety of Long-Term Inhaled Corticosteroids in Children

    CAROLINE WELLBERY

    Hypertension and Thiazide Diuretics: Reviewing ALLHAT

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Practice Guidelines

    Evidence-Based Guidelines for Neuroimaging in Patients with Nonacute Headache

    MATTHEW J. NEFF

    New guidelines for diagnostic testing in patients with nonacute headache have been released by the U.S. Headache Consortium and endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the American Headache Society (AHS), the...

    Practice Guideline Briefs

    Lymphogranuloma Venereum Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

    Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a systemic, sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a variety of the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. A report on LGV is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    Letters to the Editor

    Case Report: Wegener’s Granulomatosis Presents as Pulmonary Infection

    MATTHEW FALAGAS

    Diagnosis and Treatment of Group A Pharyngitis Strep

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Vertigo–A Type of Dizziness

    Vertigo is a type of dizziness. If you have vertigo, you may feel like you are moving or spinning. It is not the same as feeling like you are off balance or about to faint.

    What Should I Know About Cholesterol?

    Heart attacks and strokes are the number one cause of death in the United States. Having high cholesterol levels puts you at greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke. Your risk also is higher if you:



    Disclosure

    All editors in a position to control content for this activity, AFP journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.


    Tag Legend

    Legend

    CME Continuing Medical Education Credit
    POC Point-of-Care Resource
    FREE Free Access
    Alg Algorithm
    DDx Differential Diagnosis
    PtEd Patient Education