CECILIA GUTIERREZ, DANIEL G. BLANCHARD
Pulse rate, electrocardiography, and longer-term monitoring are standard tests in the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. Types of atrial fibrillation vary, and a normal electrocardiographic finding does not rule out all forms. Treatment is aimed at reducing the risk of stroke,...
NATHAN P. FALK, SCOTT W. HUGHES, BLAKE C. RODGERS
The management of chronic asthma includes long-term treatment with therapeutic agents that aim to prevent symptoms by controlling airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. Selection of medication regimen depends on patient age and symptom severity. Care is typically managed...
BETH DUNLAP, GEORGE WEYER
Pulmonary hypertension is a heterogeneous group of disorders classified into five categories and defined by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 25 mm Hg or greater. It may present in patients with chronic diseases such as heart failure, obstructive lung disease, or...
Patients Bear Cost of Brand-Name Drugs | CMS Requests AAFP's Help to Fix Issues with Diabetic Testing Supplies | CMS Fields New Pilot Program to Bolster Medicare Advantage | Family Medicine Number 1 Among Students
JOHN W. ELY, MARK L. GRABER
Taking specific steps to make diagnosis more reliable is something we should all consider. We will never be perfect, but we owe it to our patients and our profession to improve. A diagnostic checklist is included.
CAROLINE WELLBERY
End-of-life discussions in moments of excellent health may pose as much of a challenge as waiting until illness arrives.
DAVID WYATT JOHNSON
What are the effects of treatments (dexamethasone or humidification) in children with mild and moderate to severe croup?
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of visual skin examination by a clinician to screen for skin cancer in adults.
ZACHARY ZINN, SARA KURIAN, DAVID BURCH
A patient presented with persistent and worsening pruritic auricular lesions on the ears.
LINDA PRINE, LIZ MORRIS, GABRIELLE deFIEBRE
At 7.5 months pregnant, my patient found herself increasingly uncomfortable at work. Her varicose veins ached from standing on the job, where she was required to work a cash register and walk prescriptions from the pharmacy to the checkout area. I wrote a note to her boss...
JOSHUA STEINBERG
Gout is ideally diagnosed through identification of characteristic negatively birefringent crystals under polarized light microscopy in fluid aspirated from end-organ deposits, typically from a joint. However, fewer than 10% of patients with gout see a rheumatologist, and...
JENNIFER WILKES
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released a position paper providing evidence-based recommendations that address reproductive health care.
JOHN D. GAZEWOOD, KRISTINA JOHNSON
Ivermectin cream is an effective treatment for moderate to severe pustular rosacea, but it is more expensive than some other available treatments and has not been studied in patients with milder forms of rosacea. Generic metronidazole cream is a less expensive alternative,...
DAVID A. KLEIN, JAMES J. ARNOLD, JOSEPH R. YANCEY
RANDY STEVENS
DAN ROSE
ROBERT B. TAYLOR
Atrial fibrillation (fih-brih-LAY-shun) is caused by a problem with your heart's electrical system. It causes the upper chamber of your heart to shake, and not pump blood well. Sometimes a clot can form in this chamber, and if that clot breaks free it can cause a stroke.
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