• Articles

    Diagnosis and Management of Endometriosis

    ANNE L. MOUNSEY, ALEX WILGUS, DAVID C. SLAWSON

    Because the signs and symptoms of endometriosis are nonspecific, the preferred diagnostic method is surgical visual inspection of pelvic organs with histologic confirmation. Oral contraceptive pills and medroxyprogesterone acetate are first-line treatments. There is limited...

    Management of Grapefruit-Drug Interactions

    AMY L. STUMP, TERRI MAYO, ALAN BLUM

    Grapefruit can affect the metabolism of some medications including statins, antiarrhythmic agents, immunosuppressants, and calcium channel blockers. Family physicians should be aware of which medications may interact with grapefruit and of alternatives for these medications.

    Digoxin Therapy for Heart Failure: An Update

    SPENCER A. MORRIS, H. FLOYD HATCHER, DEEPA K. REDDY

    Digoxin has been considered a fundamental therapy for heart failure. However, data bring into question the safety of this therapy, including the optimal serum digoxin concentration and the use of this therapy in women.

    Rickets: Not a Disease of the Past

    LINDA S. NIELD, PRASHANT MAHAJAN, APARNA JOSHI, DEEPAK KAMAT

    Early diagnosis and treatment of rickets can normalize biochemical abnormalities and prevent complications that may require surgical intervention.

    Inside AFP

    Thank You for Continuing to Make AFP No. 1

    JOYCE A. MERRIMAN

    Reader surveys are a valuable way to assess what readers want in AFP and to learn more about their reading habits. We conduct several surveys ourselves each year, but we also pay to obtain results of surveys conducted by an outside company on behalf of advertisers, ad...

    AAFP News Now: AFP Edition

    Newsletter

    LIZ SMITH

    Selected policy and health issues news briefs from AAFP News Now.

    Quantum Sufficit

    Quantum Sufficit

    SHERRI DAMLO

    Supersizing a fast-food combo meal can add inches to your waistline and make your wallet a whole lot leaner, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The average cost to upgrade a combo meal is $0.67, but each meal also comes with a possible...

    Editorials

    Rickets: Emerging from Obscurity

    CAROL WAGNER

    The review,1 “Rickets: Not a Disease of the Past,” by Nield and colleagues in this issue of American Family Physician is an important reminder that changes in lifestyle can cause the reappearance of disease states that were thought to have been eradicated. In one study more...

    Point-of-Care Guides

    Predicting Four-Year Mortality Risk in Older Adults

    MARK H. EBELL

    Survival prognoses for older adults may help patients and physicians make decisions about screening, treatment, and advance directives.

    Putting Prevention Into Practice

    Screening for Peripheral Arterial Disease

    TRACY A. WOLFF, GREGORY D. GUTKE

    Case study: A 57-year-old man visits your office for refills of simvastatin (Zocor) and paroxetine (Paxil). He says his friend had “a bypass operation on the arteries in his legs,” and asks if you think he should be “checked for that disease.” He has never had symptoms of...

    Photo Quiz

    Pruritic Papules on the Chest and Back

    MIRIAM HANSON, SYLVIA HSU

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

    STEPS

    Acamprosate (Campral) for Treatment of Alcoholism

    KAM HUNTER, RICKY OCHOA

    Acamprosate is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for patients with alcoholism and it appears to improve the likelihood that patients will remain abstinent. Most evidence suggests it is as effective as naltrexone but with fewer adverse reactions, and that it may be more...

    POEMs

    Bupropion SR vs. Buspirone for Treating Depression

    MARK EBELL

    Acupressure vs. Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain

    ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

    Estrogen Alone Does Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk

    DAVID SLAWSON

    MRI Not Accurate for Diagnosing MS

    ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY

    Practice Guidelines

    Recommendations Released on Influenza Vaccination of Health Care Professionals

    LISA GRAHAM

    Recommendations on the influenza vaccination of health care professionals have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ...

    Practice Guideline Briefs

    ACIP Releases 2006-2007 Influenza Vaccination Recommendations

    CARRIE ARMSTRONG

    The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated guidelines for the use of influenza vaccine and antiviral agents for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza A.

    CDC Reports on End-stage Renal Disease in Patients with Diabetes

    LISA GRAHAM

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report detailing the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of ESRD in the United States, accounting for 44 percent of new cases in 2002.

    Letters to the Editor

    Diagnostic Criteria for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    WILLIAM E. CAYLEY, JR.

    Tips from Other Journals

    Bypass Surgery vs. Angioplasty for Severe Ischemia of the Leg

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Clinical Prediction Rule for Stratifying Patients with PE

    KARL E. MILLER

    Does Delivery Type Affect Postpartum Health?

    KENNETH W. LIN

    Does Delivery Type Affect Postpartum Health?

    KENNETH W. LIN

    Prolonged Bottle-feeding and Iron Deficiency Anemia

    KARL E. MILLER

    Donepezil for Advanced Alzheimer’s Dementia

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Endometriosis: What You Should Know

    Endometriosis (say: en-doh-me-tree-OH-sis) is a problem with the tissue that lines your uterus. Normally, every month when you have your period, this tissue comes out in your menstrual flow. If you have endometriosis, tissue grows on your ovaries, abdominal wall, bladder, or...

    Medicine Interactions with Grapefruit: What You Should Know

    A medicine interaction is when a medicine or food changes how another medicine works.

    Rickets: What It Is and How It’s Treated

    Rickets is a bone problem that affects children. It happens when your child’s bones do not form correctly. Rickets can make your child’s bones hurt, and the bones can bend and break easily.



    Disclosure

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


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