Causes and Evaluation of Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels - American Family ...
Nov 1, 2011 - Mild elevations in levels of the liver enzymes alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase are commonly discovered in asymptomatic patients in primary care. Evidence to guide the diagnostic workup is limited. If the history and physical examination do not suggest a cause, a stepwise...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1101/p1003.html
Evaluation of the Patient with Chronic Cough - American Family Physician
Oct 15, 2011 - Initial evaluation of the patient with chronic cough (i.e., of more than eight weeks’ duration) should include a focused history and physical examination, and in most patients, chest radiography. Patients who are taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor should switch to a ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1015/p887.html
Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder - American Family Physician
Oct 15, 2011 - Premenstrual syndrome is defined as recurrent moderate psychological and physical symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of menses and resolve with menstruation. It affects 20 to 32 percent of premenopausal women. Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder experience affective or ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1015/p918.html
Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Cystitis - American Family Physician
Oct 1, 2011 - Urinary tract infections are the most common bacterial infections in women. Most urinary tract infections are acute uncomplicated cystitis. Identifiers of acute uncomplicated cystitis are frequency and dysuria in an immunocompetent woman of childbearing age who has no comorbidities or ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1001/p771.html
Interacting with Patients' Family Members During the Office Visit - American Family ...
Oct 1, 2011 - The physician-patient relationship is part of the patient’s larger social system and is influenced by the patient’s family. A patient’s family member can be a valuable source of health information and can collaborate in making an accurate diagnosis and planning a treatment strategy ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1001/p780.html
Treatment of Adult Obesity with Bariatric Surgery - American Family Physician
Oct 1, 2011 - Bariatric surgery procedures, including laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, result in an average weight loss of 50 percent of excess body weight. Remission of diabetes mellitus occurs in approximately 80 percent of ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1001/p805.html
Diagnosis and Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis - American Family Physician
Sep 15, 2011 - Plantar fasciitis, a self-limiting condition, is a common cause of heel pain in adults. It affects more than 1 million persons per year, and two-thirds of patients with plantar fasciitis will seek care from their family physician. Plantar fasciitis affects sedentary and athletic ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0915/p676.html
Umbilical Cord Blood: A Guide for Primary Care Physicians - American Family Physician
Sep 15, 2011 - Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants are used to treat a variety of oncologic, genetic, hematologic, and immunodeficiency disorders. Physicians have an important role in educating, counseling, and offering umbilical cord blood donation and storage options to patients. Parents may ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0915/p661.html
Evaluation and Management of Orthostatic Hypotension - American Family Physician
Sep 1, 2011 - Orthostatic hypotension is defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or a decrease in diastolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg within three minutes of standing when compared with blood pressure from the sitting or supine position. It results from an inadequate physiologic...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0901/p527.html
Pharmacologic Treatment of Hyperlipidemia - American Family Physician
Sep 1, 2011 - Pharmacologic treatment of hyperlipidemia in conjunction with therapeutic lifestyle changes can be used for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Statins have the most convincing data for primary prevention, especially for higher risk patients. Therefore, risk...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0901/p551.html
Geriatric Assistive Devices - American Family Physician
Aug 15, 2011 - Disability and mobility problems increase with age. Assistive devices such as canes, crutches, and walkers can be used to increase a patient’s base of support, improve balance, and increase activity and independence, but they are not without significant musculoskeletal and metabolic ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0815/p405.html
Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction: Diagnosis and Management - American Family Physician
Aug 15, 2011 - Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction describes the narrowing of the airway that occurs with exercise. More than 10 percent of the general population and up to 90 percent of persons previously diagnosed with asthma have exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Common symptoms include ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0815/p427.html
Treatment Options for Localized Prostate Cancer - American Family Physician
Aug 15, 2011 - In the United States, more than 90 percent of prostate cancers are detected by serum prostate-specific antigen testing. Most patients are found to have localized prostate cancer, and most of these patients undergo surgery or radiotherapy. However, many patients have low-risk cancer and ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0815/p413.html
Treatment of Nongenital Cutaneous Warts - American Family Physician
Aug 1, 2011 - Numerous treatments for nongenital cutaneous warts are available, although no single therapy has been established as completely curative. Watchful waiting is an option for new warts because many resolve spontaneously. However, patients often request treatment because of social stigma or...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0801/p288.html
Slowing Global Warming: Benefits for Patients and the Planet - American Family Physician
Aug 1, 2011 - Global warming will cause significant harm to the health of persons and their communities by compromising food and water supplies; increasing risks of morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases and heat stress; changing social determinants of health resulting from extreme weather ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0801/p271.html
Hemorrhoids - American Family Physician
Jul 15, 2011 - Most patients with hemorrhoids experience only mild symptoms that can be treated with nonprescription topical preparations. Patients usually seek treatment when symptoms increase. Internal hemorrhoids typically present with prolapse or painless rectal bleeding. External hemorrhoids also...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0715/p204.html
A Diagnostic Approach to Pruritus - American Family Physician
Jul 15, 2011 - Pruritus can be a symptom of a distinct dermatologic condition or of an occult underlying systemic disease. Of the patients referred to a dermatologist for generalized pruritus with no apparent primary cutaneous cause, 14 to 24 percent have a systemic etiology. In the absence of a ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0715/p195.html
Management of Acute Asthma Exacerbations - American Family Physician
Jul 1, 2011 - Asthma exacerbations can be classified as mild, moderate, severe, or life threatening. Criteria for exacerbation severity are based on symptoms and physical examination parameters, as well as lung function and oxygen saturation. In patients with a peak expiratory flow of 50 to 79 ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0701/p40.html
Office Management of Early Pregnancy Loss - American Family Physician
Jul 1, 2011 - The management of early pregnancy loss used to be based largely in the hospital setting, but it has shifted to the outpatient setting, allowing women to remain under the care of their family physician throughout the miscarriage process. Up to 15 percent of recognized pregnancies end in ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0701/p75.html
Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia: Prevention and Management - American Family ...
Jun 15, 2011 - Herpes zoster (shingles) is diagnosed clinically by recognition of the distinctive, painful vesicular rash appearing in a unilateral, dermatomal distribution. An estimated 1 million cases occur in the United States each year, and increasing age is the primary risk factor. Laboratory ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0615/p1432.html
Treatment of Alzheimer Disease - American Family Physician
Jun 15, 2011 - Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than one-third of Americans older than 85 years. It is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Amyloid plaque accumulation, neurofibrillary tau tangles, and depletion of acetylcholine are among...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0615/p1403.html
Common Adverse Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Disease - American Family ...
Jun 15, 2011 - Family physicians are treating patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in their practices more often. Long-term complications of this disease are multifactorial and can be related to the virus itself or to adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy. Each drug class has side ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0615/p1443.html
Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis - American Family Physician
Jun 1, 2011 - Knee osteoarthritis is a common disabling condition that affects more than one-third of persons older than 65 years. Exercise, weight loss, physical therapy, intra-articular corticosteroid injections, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and braces or heel wedges decrease...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0601/p1287.html
Caregiver Care - American Family Physician
Jun 1, 2011 - In 2009, nearly 66 million Americans (three in 10 U.S. households) reported at least one person providing unpaid care as a family caregiver. More adults with chronic conditions and disabilities are living at home than ever before, and family caregivers have an even higher level of ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0601/p1309.html
Speech and Language Delay in Children - American Family Physician
May 15, 2011 - Speech and language delay in children is associated with increased difficulty with reading, writing, attention, and socialization. Although physicians should be alert to parental concerns and to whether children are meeting expected developmental milestones, there currently is ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0515/p1183.html
Intimate Partner Violence - American Family Physician
May 15, 2011 - Intimate partner violence is a common source of physical, psychological, and emotional morbidity. In the United States, approximately 1.5 million women and 834,700 men annually are raped and/or physically assaulted by an intimate partner. Women are more likely than men to be injured, ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0515/p1165.html
Urticaria: Evaluation and Treatment - American Family Physician
May 1, 2011 - Urticaria involves intensely pruritic, raised wheals, with or without edema of the deeper cutis. It is usually a self-limited, benign reaction, but can be chronic. Rarely, it may represent serious systemic disease or a life-threatening allergic reaction. Urticaria has a lifetime ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0501/p1078.html
Acute Rhinosinusitis in Adults - American Family Physician
May 1, 2011 - Rhinosinusitis is one of the most common conditions for which patients seek medical care. Subtypes of rhinosinusitis include acute, subacute, recurrent acute, and chronic. Acute rhinosinusitis is further specified as bacterial or viral. Most cases of acute rhinosinusitis are caused by ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0501/p1057.html
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - American Family Physician
Apr 15, 2011 - Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common entrapment neuropathy, affecting approximately 3 to 6 percent of adults in the general population. Although the cause is not usually determined, it can include trauma, repetitive maneuvers, certain diseases, and pregnancy. Symptoms are related ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0415/p952.html
Update on Subclinical Hyperthyroidism - American Family Physician
Apr 15, 2011 - Subclinical hyperthyroidism is defined by low or undetectable serum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, with normal free thyroxine and total or free triiodothyronine levels. It can be caused by increased endogenous production of thyroid hormone (as in Graves disease or toxic nodular ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0415/p933.html
Vaginitis: Diagnosis and Treatment - American Family Physician
Apr 1, 2011 - Bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis are the most common infectious causes of vaginitis. Bacterial vaginosis occurs when the normal lactobacilli of the vagina are replaced by mostly anaerobic bacteria. Diagnosis is commonly made using the Amsel criteria, ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0401/p807.html
Failure to Thrive: An Update - American Family Physician
Apr 1, 2011 - Failure to thrive in childhood is a state of undernutrition due to inadequate caloric intake, inadequate caloric absorption, or excessive caloric expenditure. In the United States, it is seen in 5 to 10 percent of children in primary care settings. Although failure to thrive is often ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0401/p829.html
Differentiation and Diagnosis of Tremor - American Family Physician
Mar 15, 2011 - Tremor, an involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory movement of a body part, is the most common movement disorder encountered in clinical practice. Rest tremors occur in a body part that is relaxed and completely supported against gravity. Action tremors occur with voluntary contraction of a ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0315/p697.html
Preventing Gaps When Switching Contraceptives - American Family Physician
Mar 1, 2011 - Unintended pregnancy can occur when women stop one birth control method before starting another. To prevent gaps in contraception, physicians should ask women regularly about adverse effects, cost, difficulty remembering the next dose, and other issues that affect adherence. Women who ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0301/p567.html
Update on the Evaluation and Management of Functional Dyspepsia - American Family ...
Mar 1, 2011 - Dyspepsia affects up to 40 percent of adults each year and is often diagnosed as functional (nonulcer) dyspepsia. The defining symptoms are postprandial fullness, early satiation, or epigastric pain or burning in the absence of causative structural disease. These symptoms may coexist ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0301/p547.html
Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in Children - American Family ...
Feb 15, 2011 - Acute urinary tract infections are relatively common in children, with 8 percent of girls and 2 percent of boys having at least one episode by seven years of age. The most common pathogen is Escherichia coli, accounting for approximately 85 percent of urinary tract infections in ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0215/p409.html
Adhesive Capsulitis: A Review - American Family Physician
Feb 15, 2011 - Adhesive capsulitis is a common, yet poorly understood, condition causing pain and loss of range of motion in the shoulder. It can occur in isolation or concomitantly with other shoulder conditions (e.g., rotator cuff tendinopathy, bursitis) or diabetes mellitus. It is often ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0215/p417.html
Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism - American Family Physician
Feb 1, 2011 - A previous venous thromboembolism is the most important risk factor for predicting recurrence of the condition. Several studies have shown that routine testing for inherited thrombophilias is not helpful in predicting the risk of recurrence or altering treatment decisions, and therefore...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0201/p293.html
Evaluation and Mangement of Intestinal Obstruction - American Family Physician
Jan 15, 2011 - Acute intestinal obstruction occurs when there is an interruption in the forward flow of intes- tinal contents. This interruption can occur at any point along the length of the gastrointestinal tract, and clinical symptoms often vary based on the level of obstruction. Intestinal ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0115/p159.html
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Children - American Family Physician
Jan 15, 2011 - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an RNA virus that causes respiratory tract infections in children. In the North- ern Hemisphere, the peak infection season is November through April. By two years of age, most children will have had an RSV infection. Bronchiolitis, a lower ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0115/p141.html
Stress Fractures: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention - American Family Physician
Jan 1, 2011 - Stress fractures are common injuries in athletes and military recruits. These injuries occur more commonly in lower extremities than in upper extremities. Stress fractures should be considered in patients who present with tenderness or edema after a recent increase in activity or ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0101/p39.html
Atrial Fibrillation: Diagnosis and Treatment - American Family Physician
Jan 1, 2011 - Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. It impairs cardiac function and increases the risk of stroke. The incidence of atrial fibrillation increases with age. Key treatment issues include deciding when to restore normal sinus rhythm, when to control rate only, and how...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0101/p61.html
Managing Adverse Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives - American Family Physician
Dec 15, 2010 - Adverse effects of hormonal contraceptives usually diminish with continued use of the same method. Often, physi- cians only need to reassure patients that these symptoms will likely resolve within three to five months. Long-acting injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate is the only...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1215/p1499.html
Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Bronchitis - American Family Physician
Dec 1, 2010 - Cough is the most common symptom bringing patients to the primary care physician’s office, and acute bronchitis is usually the diagnosis in these patients. Acute bronchitis should be differentiated from other common diagnoses, such as pneumonia and asthma, because these conditions may ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1201/p1345.html
Frontotemporal Dementia: A Review for Primary Care Physicians - American Family Physician
Dec 1, 2010 - Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the most common forms of dementia in persons younger than 65 years. Variants include behavioral variant FTD, semantic dementia, and progressive nonfluent aphasia. Behavioral and language manifestations are core features of FTD, and patients have ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1201/p1372.html
Sexual Behaviors in Children: Evaluation and Management - American Family Physician
Nov 15, 2010 - Sexual behaviors in children are common, occurring in 42 to 73 percent of children by the time they reach 13 years of age. Developmentally appropriate behavior that is common and frequently observed in children includes trying to view another person’s genitals or breasts, standing too ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1115/p1233.html
Human Papillomavirus: Clinical Manifestations and Prevention - American Family Physician
Nov 15, 2010 - Human papillomaviruses cause the most common sexually trans- mitted infection in the world and are responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Genital human papillomavirus infection can be divided into low-risk infections (causing genital warts) and high-risk infections ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1115/p1209.html
Nongenital Herpes Simplex Virus - American Family Physician
Nov 1, 2010 - Nongenital herpes simplex virus type 1 is a common infection usually transmitted during childhood via nonsexual contact. Most of these infections involve the oral mucosa or lips (herpes labialis). The diagnosis of an infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 is usually made by the ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1101/p1075.html
Management of Influenza - American Family Physician
Nov 1, 2010 - Influenza is a contagious airborne viral illness characterized by abrupt onset of symptoms. Fever, myalgia, headache, rhinitis, sore throat, and cough are commonly reported symptoms. The diagnosis should be made clinically, and the decision to begin antiviral therapy should not be ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1101/p1087.html
Common Types of Supraventricular Tachycardia: Diagnosis and Management - American ...
Oct 15, 2010 - The most common types of supraventricular tachycardia are caused by a reentry phenomenon producing accelerated heart rates. Symptoms may include palpitations (pulsation in the neck), chest pain, lightheadedness or dizziness, and dyspnea. It is unusual for supraventricular tachycardia to...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1015/p942.html