• Articles

    The Evaluation of Common Breast Problems

    MONICA MORROW

    Breast pain, nipple discharge and a palpable mass are common breast problems that cause women to seek medical attention. In most women, these problems are the result of benign breast disease.

    Acute Knee Effusions: A Systematic Approach to Diagnosis

    MICHAEL W. JOHNSON

    Knee effusions are the result of trauma, overuse and systemic processes. A meticulous physical examination coupled with appropriate imaging and diagnostic testing establishes the correct diagnosis.

    Addiction: Part II. Identification and Management of the Drug-Seeking Patient

    LANCE P. LONGO, TED PARRAN, JR., BRIAN JOHNSON, WILLIAM KINSEY

    Patients who abuse prescription drugs may exhibit patterns of behavior such as escalating use, losing prescriptions and doctor shopping.

    Acute Otitis Media: Part II. Treatment in an Era of Increasing Antibiotic Resistance

    MICHAEL E. PICHICHERO

    Amoxicillin remains the first-line choice for treatment for acute otitis media, but higher dosages (80 mg per kg per day) may be prudent to ensure eradication of antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae.

    Developing and Communicating a Long-Term Treatment Plan for Asthma

    ROBERT B. MELLINS, DAVID EVANS, NOREEN CLARK, BARRY ZIMMERMAN, SANDRA WIESEMANN

    A written long-term treatment plan and education can improve outcomes for patients with asthma.

    Management of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) and Postherpetic Neuralgia

    SETH JOHN STANKUS, MICHAEL DLUGOPOLSKI, DEBORAH PACKER

    Prompt treatment of herpes zoster with antiviral medications, and oral corticosteroids in selected patients, can decrease the duration of the painful rash and the subsequent risk of postherpetic neuralgia.

    Evaluation and Treatment of Swallowing Impairments

    JEFFREY B. PALMER, JENNIFER C. DRENNAN, MIKOTO BABA

    Swallowing may be impaired because of a variety of structural or functional disorders, such as stroke, cancer, neurologic disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The physical examination should include the neck, mouth, oropharynx and larynx. The nerves that control these...

    AFP 50 Years Ago

    William Hyatt Gordon, ROBERT B. TAYLOR

    This feature is part of a year-long series of excerpts and special commentaries celebrating AFP's 50th year of publication. Excerpts from the two 1950 volumes of GP, AFP's predecessor, appear along with highlights of 50 years of family medicine.

    Inside AFP

    AFP's Editorial Fellow: Learning About Journals, Teaching and Practice

    Janis Wright

    Three quarters of a year ago, Amy S. Weichel, D.O., joined the staff of AFP as the seventh physician to serve as the John C. Rose Medical Editing Fellow at the editorial offices at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C. Her fellowship started at the first...

    AAFP News Now: AFP Edition

    Newsletter

    Rosemarie Sweeney, Verna L. Rose

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

    Quantum Sufficit

    Quantum Sufficit

    JESSICA GREENE

    I'm a little bit country, but not a little bit pollution control? A recent study indicates that rural vehicles emit more pollutants than urban vehicles. The study looked at ppvm (pollutant per vehicle-mile), which measures the total particulate matter emission made by a...

    Editorials

    Evaluation of Common Breast Problems in Family Practice

    REBECCA B. SAENZ

    In this issue of American Family Physician, Morrow1 discusses the evaluation of three common breast problems: breast pain, nipple discharge and breast mass. I agree with the author's assertion that the goal of the evaluation is to exclude cancer and treat symptoms.

    Improving Adherence to Asthma Therapy: What Physicians Can Do

    STUART W. STOLOFF

    Asthma is a serious chronic inflammatory airway disease affecting more than 15 million Americans, one third of whom are children. If managed appropriately, hospitalization is rare, yet over 40 percent of costs are related to emergency services and hospitalizations that result...

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    It's always hard to deliver bad news. With practice, we learn ways to soften the blow, so there won't be as many pieces to gather up afterward. Today, however, JRH dealt with perhaps his youngest case of disappointment. A weary and worn six-year-old boy arrived with his...

    Conference Highlights

    Conference Highlights

    Matthew Neff

    (63rd Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology) Results from a pooled analysis of three identical 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies indicate that celecoxib (Celebrex) at dosages of 100 or 200 mg twice daily can significantly improve health...

    Family Practice International

    Family Practice International

    Anne D. Walling

    (Canada—Canadian Family Physician, January 2000, p. 121.) Changing patterns of chloroquine resistance make malaria prevention increasingly challenging. Chloroquine alone is now inadequate for prophylaxis in most areas. Mefloquine is the leading agent for many areas but...

    FDA Perspective

    Significant FDA Approvals in 1999

    THOMAS J. MCGINNIS, null R.PH.

    During 1999, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took 190 actions on original new drug applications. Of these actions, 83 were drug approvals that occurred in a median time of 12 months. Twenty-eight of these...

    Practice Guidelines

    AHA and ACC Outline Approaches to Coronary Disease Risk Assessment

    Sharon Scott Morey

    The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have issued a report that discusses approaches to the assessment of cardiovascular risk as a tool for primary prevention of coronary disease.

    Clinical Briefs

    Clinical Briefs

    Monica Preboth

    Approximately 38 percent of patients who are being treated for high blood pressure may stop taking their medication because of problems with tolerance, according to results of a recent survey, which was sponsored by the Association of Black Cardiologists. Ninety-five percent...

    Letters to the Editor

    Hiding Consumer Ads in Pharmaceutical Samples

    Use of Intravenous Colchicine in Patients with Acute Gout

    Tips from Other Journals

    Is Ceftriaxone Effective for Staphylococcal Osteomyelitis?

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Oral Misoprostol or IV Oxytocin for Labor Induction

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Usefulness of Clean-Catch Urine Collection in Infants

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Detecting Trichomonas vaginalis Using Spun Urinalysis

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Alzheimer's Disease

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Celecoxib for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Topical Steroids as a Cause of Acne Rosacea in Children

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Cholesterol-Lowering Effect of Wood-Based Stanol Esters

    JIM NUOVO

    Identifying the Etiology of Head Injuries in Children

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Which Patients Are at Greatest Risk of Committing Suicide?

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Increased Resistance to One Drug Used in HIV Patients

    KARL E. MILLER

    Diagnosis and Treatment of Temporal Arteritis

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Fingerstick Test Accurate for H. pylori Testing

    KARL E. MILLER

    Preventing Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    A Comparison of Rofecoxib and NSAIDs: Adverse Effects

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Celecoxib vs. Diclofenac in Rheumatoid Arthritis

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Prediction Model to Estimate Risk for Ectopic Pregnancy

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Management of Dyspareunia and Vaginismus

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Attempted CPR and Nursing Home Residents

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Use of Blood Cultures in Patients with Cellulitis

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Using EBM to Assess Ophthalmic Situations

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Cardiac Troponin T Levels for Risk Stratification in Infarction

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    When You Have Breast Pain

    Breast pain is a common problem in younger women who are still having their periods (menstrual cycle). It is less common in older women. The pain can be in one breast or in both. It may come and go each month, or it may last for several weeks, or even months, and then just go...

    Medications for Controlling Asthma

    Most people with asthma need two kinds of asthma medicine: one for quick relief and one for long-term control.

    What You and Your Family Can Do About Asthma

    Asthma is a disease of the airways in the lungs. You can get asthma at any age. People can have asthma for many years. Often, more than one person in a family has asthma.

    Shingles

    Shingles is another name for a condition called “herpes zoster.” It causes a painful rash. You can only get shingles if you had chickenpox in the past.

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    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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