Seasonal Affective Disorder: Common Questions and Answers

Samuel V. Galima, Stephen R. Vogel, Adam W. Kowalski

Seasonal affective disorder is a variant of major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. It is characterized by depressive symptoms that occur at a specific time of year, typically fall or winter, with full remission at other times of year. Possible risk factors include...

Top POEMs of 2019 Consistent with the Principles of the Choosing Wisely Campaign

Roland Grad, Mark H. Ebell

The annual installment of this series summarizes the top POEMs (patient-oriented evidence that matters) of 2019 that are consistent with the Choosing Wisely campaign. These POEMs were highly rated by physician members of the Canadian Medical Association for their clinical...

Parkinson Disease

Anne D. Halli-Tierney, Jacquelynn Luker, Dana G. Carroll

Parkinson disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of Parkinson disease is clinical, and key disease features are bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor. Parkinson disease progression is variable, and clinical...

Management of Acute Pain from Musculoskeletal Injuries: Guidance for Family Physicians

David T. O'Gurek, Kenneth W. Lin, Melanie D. Bird

Primary care plays a large role in the management of acute pain; therefore, the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians developed a clinical practice guideline for the nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic management of acute pain from non...

Cirrhosis, Ureteral Stones, Depression, Sleep Apnea, Scoliosis

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

Low-Protein Diets for Adults Without Diabetes Mellitus Who Have CKD

Donna Cohen, Anne Ramsey

In patients without diabetes mellitus who have chronic kidney disease, is a low-protein diet effective at preventing progression to end-stage renal disease or the need for dialysis?

Beta Blockers for Suspected or Diagnosed Acute Myocardial Infarction

Nicholas M. LeFevre, Nolan Mischel

Compared with placebo, beta-blocker use in patients with acute MI reduces short-term (less than three months) risk of MI and long-term (more than three months) risk of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality.

Fecal Occult Blood Testing Is Inaccurate as Part of Diagnostic Workup

Henry C. Barry

In this well-conducted systematic review, FOBT, although useful in screening for colorectal cancer, is not highly accurate in evaluating patients with clinical indications.

Easy Rule Identifies Patients with Low-Risk Penicillin Allergies

Allen F. Shaughnessy

A label of penicillin allergy clears the shelves of many effective treatments for various infections. A simple rule outlined in the synopsis effectively identifies (without allergy testing) low-risk penicillin allergies in patients with a history of a penicillin allergy event.

Vaginal Bleeding Decreases over Time with a Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System

Linda Speer

Bleeding decreased over time for most women after the insertion of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.

Some Drugs Slightly Improve Cognition in People with Dementia; Effects on Behavioral or Psychological Symptoms Remain Unclear

Allen F. Shaughnessy

Some treatments can improve cognition on research scales, but daily function will not be affected in a noticeable way. Managing behavioral or psychological issues with medication is not supported by current evidence

Shoulder Pain and Stiffness with Abnormal Imaging Findings

Justin Lee

A 51-year-old patient presented with several years of diffuse shoulder pain and abnormal imaging findings.

Management of Acute Pain from Non–Low Back Musculoskeletal Injuries: Guidelines from AAFP and ACP

Michael J. Arnold

The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians have published guidelines based on a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 207 studies involving 32,959 patients that evaluated treatments for acute musculoskeletal pain other than low...

Immunogenicity of Childhood Vaccines after Pediatric Cancer

Elizabeth Close, Grayson McConnell, Steven Cross, J. Lacie Bradford

Children treated for cancer do not retain full immunity from previous vaccinations; therefore, it is likely beneficial for children who survive cancer to be revaccinated six to 12 months after immunosuppressive therapy.

Antibiotics for Uncomplicated Diverticulitis

Shiva Poola, Michael Ritchie

The mainstay of treatment for uncomplicated diverticulitis has been antibiotic therapy with bowel rest. However, recent studies have questioned the role of antibiotics.

Case Report: Need for Vigilance in Recognizing Neurologic Presentations of COVID-19

Catherine Avener, Rebecca Gomez, Tresha Williams

Case Reports: Rhabdomyolysis Associated with COVID-19

Balraj Singh, Parminder Kaur, Ro-Jay Romor Reid

Is Cutaneous Cryosurgery the Best Treatment Option for Cutaneous Warts?