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Articles

Chronic Asthma Treatment: Common Questions and Answers

Tyler J. Raymond, Thomas A. Peterson, Jessica Coulter

This article reviews common questions about outpatient asthma treatment and provides evidence-based answers.

Outpatient Management of COVID-19: Rapid Evidence Review

Anthony M. Cheng, Emily Dollar, Heather Angier

This article summarizes the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19, with a particular emphasis on outpatient management. Characteristics of the predominant variants of concern should determine aspects of diagnosis and treatment.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Diagnosis and Treatment

Nguyet-Cam V. Lam, Judy Abu Brown, Richa Sharma

Systemic lupus erythematosus should be considered in patients with symptoms involving multiple organ systems after infectious causes have been ruled out. Management is directed at complete remission or low disease activity, minimizing the use of glucocorticoids, preventing...

Leukemia: What Primary Care Physicians Need to Know

Joanne T. C. Gbenjo, Georgia L. M. McCrary, Sarah E. Wilson

This article reviews common presentations of leukemia subtypes, initial diagnostic evaluation, principles of therapy, and long-term sequelae in leukemia survivors.

Top 20 Research Studies of 2022 for Primary Care Physicians

Roland Grad, Mark H. Ebell

The annual installment of this series summarizes the top studies of 2022, which were summarized as POEMs (patient-oriented evidence that matters). Topics in this group of studies include preventive health care, behavioral health, asthma, gastroenterology, and diabetes.

Bell Palsy: Rapid Evidence Review

Sarah N. Dalrymple, Jessica H. Row, John Gazewood

Bell palsy is the acute onset of unilateral facial weakness or paralysis. Treatment includes oral corticosteroids with or without oral antivirals. The overall prognosis is good, and most patients recover completely within three weeks.

Editorials

Recent Changes in International Asthma Guidelines May Be Influenced by Pharmaceutical Industry Conflicts of Interest

Steven R. Brown

Asthma treatment recommendations have recently changed. These recommendations and the randomized controlled trials of SMART were heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

Legal Challenges for Family Physicians in the Post–Roe v Wade Era

Emily Kirchner

The Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling has created confusion about legal rights to abortion care and legal risks for providing or supporting reproductive health care.

AFP Clinical Answers

Cardiovascular Disease, Fracture Healing, Anxiety in Children, Antibiotic Duration, Cervical Spine Injuries

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

Medicine by the Numbers

Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation

Kento Sonoda, Kaku Kuroda

Because no data from a long-term safety profile are available, we have assigned a color recommendation of yellow (unclear benefits) to this review, despite the promising certainty of evidence supporting nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.

Cochrane for Clinicians

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis

Anne Mounsey, Brock Cardon

In pregnant patients, children, and adults with clinical signs and symptoms of appendicitis, MRI has an overall sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 96%. The posttest probability of having appendicitis after a positive MRI is 90% and 2% after a negative MRI, assuming a...

Accuracy of Point-of-Care Rapid Antigen Tests for Diagnosis of COVID-19

Karl T. Clebak, Jessica Snyder, Todd M. Felix

SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests have an average sensitivity of 69.3% and specificity of 99.3%. Accuracy depends on the presence or absence of symptoms, time from symptom onset, and test brand.

Graham Center Policy One-Pager

Relationships Matter: Primary Care Physicians and Usual Sources of Care

Alison N. Huffstetler, Anuradha Jetty, Ann Greiner, Yalda Jabbarpour

There are benefits to having a primary care physician or a usual source of care. Yet, the overall percentage of U.S. patients who reported having a usual source of care declined from 84% in 2000 to 74% in 2019, with wide variations across states, patient race, and insurance...

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Screening for Hearing Loss in Older Adults: Clinical Summary of the USPSTF Recommendation

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for hearing loss in older adults.

FPIN's Clinical Inquiries

Metformin vs. Lifestyle Changes for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Elin Kondrad, Allyson Westling, Erika Burke, Stephanie Weldon

Metformin is more effective than standard lifestyle changes at preventing progression to type 2 diabetes. However, intensive lifestyle interventions are as effective as metformin. The effects of these interventions are enduring, with a continued benefit of intensive lifestyle...

FPIN's Help Desk Answers

Does the Consumption of Red and Processed Meats Increase the Risk of Cancer?

Linsey Christensen, Matias Calquin, Sarah Daly

Patients should consume less red and processed meat. Higher meat consumption increases the risk of breast, colorectal, colon, rectal, and lung cancers.

Photo Quiz

Rapidly Growing Skin Lesion

Megan Cranor, Megha Gangadhar, Suchitra Nair

A patient presented with a sharply-demarcated, firm, erythematous lesion on her right medial thigh that was nonfluctuant and had a punctate central plug.

Ankle Pain and Rash

Keifer Walsh, Alexis Bowen, Moses Cheng

A patient presented with multiple skin lesions and a painful swollen right ankle.

Diary of a Family Physician

Diary of a Family Physician

Annette Chavez

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

POEMs

Improved Decongestion With the Addition of Acetazolamide to Intravenous Loop Diuretics for Acute Heart Failure

Nita Shrikant Kulkarni

Rebound Symptoms Common With COVID-19 Even After Placebo Treatment

Mark H. Ebell

Invitation to a Single Colonoscopy Has Only Modest Impact on Colorectal Cancer Incidence

Mark H. Ebell

Liraglutide Is Probably the Best Second Drug to Prevent Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Who Take Metformin

Mark H. Ebell

Practice Guidelines

Management of Low Back Pain: Guidelines From the VA/DoD

Andrew Buelt, Sara McCall, Jill Coster

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense (VA/DoD) have published guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain.

Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage: Recommendations From FIGO

Daniel S. Hwang, Leslie Myers

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) published new guidelines for the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage.

Letters to the Editor

Intravenous Iron Replacement for Iron Deficiency Anemia [FPIN's Clinical Inquiries]

Barry Cooper

Commercial Oats and Patients With Celiac Disease

Alan M. Ehrlich

Information from Your Family Doctor

Lupus: What You Should Know

Lupus is a disease of the immune system. It can affect many parts of the body. Normally, the immune system makes antibodies to protect the body against infections. In people who have lupus, the immune system becomes overactive and attacks healthy cells and tissues by mistake.

Leukemia: The Basics

Leukemia (loo-KEE-me-uh) is cancer of the blood and bone marrow. People of any age can get it. The cause is often not clear. You may be at higher risk if you were exposed to radiation or certain chemicals and pesticides, or if you have certain genetic disorders. If you have...

Bell Palsy

Bell palsy is paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face (see drawing). It usually develops over one to three days, and then slowly improves or completely goes away in one to three months. Most people with Bell palsy recover completely, but some are left with weakness...



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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