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  • Articles

    Management of Acute Ankle Sprains: Common Questions and Answers

    Velyn Wu, Cheree Ann Padilla, Nicholas A. Smith

    Occurring during a wide range of activities, acute ankle sprains are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. Management includes joint protection, pain control, immobilization, early functional activity, and targeted exercises.

    Neutropenia: Evaluation and Management in the Primary Care Setting

    Michael J. Kim, Chloe Forlini, Kaleb Kremsreiter

    Neutropenia is a blood cell disorder with implications for infections and malignancies, and can indicate systemic illness. It can affect patients of all ages, and presentations range from asymptomatic to severely ill and requiring hospitalization.

    Cancer Screening in Older Adults

    Mallory McClester Brown, Christine A. Adams, Karen D. Halpert

    When discussing cancer screening with older adults, clinicians should consider medical comorbidities, functional status, values and preferences, remaining life expectancy, and goals of care.

    Late Pregnancy Bleeding

    Nicole Yonke, Francheska Sevy Gurule, Sandra Rosenfeld-O'Tool

    Late pregnancy bleeding, defined as any vaginal bleeding after 20 weeks' gestation, is associated with increased risk of cesarean delivery, preterm birth, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and intrauterine fetal demise. Emergent obstetric etiologies of late pregnancy...

    Heel Pain: Diagnosis and Management

    Nailah Adams Morancie, Landon Irvin, Brian Z. Rayala

    Heel pain accounts for 2 million office visits annually. Magnetic resonance imaging is most accurate for the diagnosis of most causes of heel pain, with growing evidence for the clinical utility of point-of-care ultrasonography. Most patients improve with conservative...

    Evaluation of Suspected Dementia

    E. Seth Kramer, Melissa N. Johnson, Bradford Winslow

    Cognitive testing with a validated screening tool, such as the Mini-Cog, should be used for the initial evaluation of patients with suspected dementia. A more detailed evaluation, including imaging and laboratory testing, should be performed when initial screening suggests...

    Diary of a Family Physician

    Diary of a Family Physician

    Edmund Shi, Rashmi Rode

    First-person accounts from the front lines of family medicine.

    Inside AFP

    Honoring 75 Years of Connection and Commitment

    As our 75th anniversary year comes to a close, we acknowledge the dedicated team of medical and professional editors, designers, and illustrators who bring AFP to life across our print and digital channels.

    Editorials

    BP Target Should Be a Shared Decision That Balances Benefits and Harms

    Mark H. Ebell, David C. Slawson

    Blood pressure target should be a shared decision that balances benefits and harms, and not based on non-family medicine specialist guidelines.

    AFP Clinical Answers

    Ambulatory ECG Monitoring, Bleeding Disorders, Jaundice, SSRIs in Premenstrual Disorders, Acute Bacterial Arthritis in Children, Anaphylaxis

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

    Cochrane for Clinicians

    Proton Pump Inhibitors to Prevent NSAID-Induced Ulcers and Dyspepsia

    Tracy Johns, Elizabeth Lawrence

    PPIs slightly reduce symptoms of dyspepsia and improve quality of life for people taking NSAIDs long-term compared with placebo. PPIs also decrease incident gastric and duodenal ulcers vs placebo. It is unclear if PPIs are effective for preventing gastric and duodenal ulcers...

    Interventions for Smokeless Tobacco Cessation

    Kento Sonoda, Galen Hoft

    Are behavioral and pharmacotherapy interventions effective for smokeless tobacco cessation?

    Departments

    Recovering From an Ankle Sprain

    Ankle sprains are a common injury caused by a stretch or tear of one or more of the ligaments (tough bands connecting bones) that support your ankle. Most ankle injuries are caused by rolling or twisting the ankle. Symptoms include pain, swelling, change in color, and not...

    Lown Right Care

    Intensive Glucose Control in Older Patients With Diabetes

    Andy Lazris, Alan Roth, Helen Haskell, John James

    A collaboration between AFP and the Lown Institute promotes a vision of delivering health care that is based on the evidence, balanced in its approach, and focused on the patient.

    Diagnostic Tests

    Samsung Health Monitor App for the Detection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    Carl Bryce, Alec Oliva

    Consumer wearable devices, including those with the Samsung sleep apnea feature, cannot diagnose sleep apnea and are not intended to replace a formal diagnosis from a clinician. This technology is most useful in combination with validated OSA screening questionnaires to...

    Medicine by the Numbers

    Acupuncture for Procedural Pain in Newborns

    A. Savannah Campbell, Sean Haley

    A red rating (no clear benefits) is assigned to acupuncture for procedural pain in newborns. Although it showed potential benefit compared with no treatment, it showed no benefit when compared with standard nonpharmacologic options.

    FPIN's Clinical Inquiries

    Frailty Scoring for Predicting Hip Fracture Outcomes

    Sandra Ritchie, Jeehyun Helen Bae, Jon O. Neher

    Frailty scoring is recommended for adults older than 70 years hospitalized for hip fracture to aid in shared decision-making with patients and family members.

    Sponsored Content

    Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Primary Care Guide to Recognition and Management

    Mirna Chehade, Joel J. Heidelbaugh, Tenneisa Jackson

    Sponsored Content: Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Primary Care Guide to Recognition and Management

    Photo Quiz

    Blistering Rash After Sun Exposure

    David D. Odineal, Aaron D. Zecher

    A 22-year-old man presented with a confluent, blistering rash on his torso.

    Solitary White Papule on the Lateral Tongue

    David C. Bury, Elizabeth Gross, Cecil B. Rhodes

    A 47-year-old woman presented with a solitary raised lesion on her tongue that developed 1 week earlier.

    Point-of-Care Guides

    Assessing the Risk of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction in Individuals With Exertional Dyspnea

    Aaron Saguil, Petra Townsend, Mark H. Ebell

    How can patients with exertional dyspnea who are at risk of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction be identified?

    POEMs

    Sofpironium Topical Gel Is Effective for Axillary Hyperhidrosis

    David C. Slawson

    Suzetrigine Was More Effective Than Placebo and Similar to Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, 5 mg/325 mg for Postoperative Pain

    Mark H. Ebell

    Comparative Benefits of Available Treatments for Acute Migraine Pain

    Allen F. Shaughnessy

    Incidental Activity Is Associated With Large Reductions in Cardiovascular Events and Mortality

    Mark H. Ebell

    Practice Guidelines

    Management of Hemorrhoids: Guidelines From the ASCRS

    Michael J. Arnold, David Smith

    The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons has published guidelines on the diagnosis and management of hemorrhoids.

    Prevention and Treatment of Heat Illness: Guidelines From the Wilderness Medical Society

    Michelle Nelson

    The Wilderness Medical Society published updated guidelines for prevention and treatment of heat illness.

    Letters to the Editor

    More Options to Treat Migraine

    Robert Bonakdar, Michael Ready, Dawn C. Buse

    Reply: Paige Moreland, MD

    Buprenorphine-Naloxone Safe in Pregnancy

    Corey Walsh

    Reply: Jeffrey D. Tiemstra, MD, FAAFP

    Technique for Foreign Body Removal From the External Ear Canal

    Walter L. Larimore

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Recovering From an Ankle Sprain

    Ankle sprains are a common injury caused by a stretch or tear of one or more of the ligaments (tough bands connecting bones) that support your ankle. Most ankle injuries are caused by rolling or twisting the ankle. Symptoms include pain, swelling, change in color, and not...

    Neutropenia

    Neutropenia (noo-truh-PEE-nee-uh) means there aren't enough neutrophils in your blood. Neutrophils are white blood cells. They help your body fight germs and infections. Most people with neutropenia do not know they have it. Some get sick more often or have sores in their mouths.

    Corrections

    Correction

    Inconsistent definitions of prematurity based on gestational age. “Outpatient Care of the Premature Infant” (August 2025, p. 153) defined subcategories of preterm birth using inconsistent terminology and time frames in the article text and Table 1. The online version of the...



    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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