• Articles

    Management of Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Rotator Cuff Tears

    ALLEN E. FONGEMIE, DANIEL D. BUSS, SHARON J. ROLNICK

    Rotator cuff impingement and tears are shoulder problems frequently encountered by family physicians. Learning to conduct a thorough, concise examination of the shoulder will help family physicians diagnose and treat these problems.

    Testicular Masses

    JENNIFER JUNNILA, PATRICK LASSEN

    A knowledge of normal male genital anatomy and the pathophysiology of major emergency and benign processes causing testicular masses allows family physicians to appropriately manage patients and refer them to a urologist when indicated.

    Electrocardiographic Manifestations and Differential Diagnosis of Acute Pericarditis

    MARK A. MARINELLA

    Acute pericarditis has a variety of etiologies and produces characteristic findings on ECG, including diffuse ST-segment elevation that, at times, may be difficult to distinguish from changes of acute myocardial infarction or other conditions.

    Diagnostic Evaluation of Dyspnea

    WALTER C. MORGAN, HEIDI L. HODGE

    Dyspnea, like other undifferentiated general symptoms, can best be diagnosed with the help of a careful history and physical examination. Selective diagnostic testing can be helpful in difficult cases.

    Occupational Lead Poisoning

    KEVIN C. STAUDINGER, VICTOR S. ROTH

    Despite our increased awareness of the adverse health effects of lead, occupational lead poisoning continues to be a major problem, requiring a high index of suspicion for accurate diagnosis. Prompt removal of the worker from the source of exposure remains the mainstay of...

    Conjunctivitis

    GARY L. MORROW, RICHARD L. ABBOTT

    While the etiology of conjunctivitis can usually be determined on the basis of the history and ocular examination, cultures are sometimes necessary to establish the diagnosis and guide therapy.

    Isoniazid Overdose: Recognition and Management

    JENNIFER A. ROMERO, FRANK J. KUCZLER, JR.

    Isoniazid toxicity can result in recurrent seizures, profound metabolic acidosis, coma and death.

    An Algorithm for the Evaluation of Peripheral Neuropathy

    ANN NOELLE PONCELET

    Electromyography and nerve conduction studies can help distinguish axonal from demyelinating neuropathies.

    Diagnosis and Treatment of Cutaneous Vascular Lesions

    FERN A. WIRTH, MARK H. LOWITT

    Hemangiomas typically have proliferative, stationary and involutional phases. Many resolve without treatment, but others, often because of their location, require prompt intervention.

    Subclinical Hypothyroidism: Deciding When to Treat

    VICTOR ADLIN

    An isolated thyrotropin-stimulating hormone elevation usually indicates an early stage of thyroid failure. Because subtle symptoms and changes in lipid levels and cardiac function are common in this condition, treatment with levothyroxine may be advisable.

    Family Practice International

    ANNE D. WALLING

    (Great Britain—The Practitioner, August 1997, p. 470.) Approximately 10 percent of women report some form of incontinence of urine, and it is estimated that 70 percent of cases can be cured. Stress incontinence is characterized by daytime leakage of urine on movement or...

    Inside AFP

    Putting AFP Together

    JANIS WRIGHT

    Perhaps a little-appreciated aspect of publishing a journal is the work involved in piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of articles and advertisements that make up each issue. What does it take to produce 20 issues a year of a journal like AFP? To start with, it takes the...

    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

    Monica A. Preboth, Rachel Richards

    Do computer nerds have low bone density? In a study of 44 nonobese boys ages 15 to 17, one group was enrolled in two hours of group endurance training five days a week for five weeks, while the other group was enrolled in a computer class for the same amount of time. The...

    Editorials

    Valve Disease and Diet Pills—Where Do We Stand?

    GERARD P. AURIGEMMA, WILLIAM H. GAASCH

    Obesity is a common condition in adults and has significant cardiovascular consequences. Several pharmacologic agents have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the short-term single-drug treatment of obesity, including phentermine (Adipex, Fastin,...

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    We are doing more and more procedures in our office that once were done exclusively in the emergency department, hospital or outpatient surgery center. Today, JRH saw a longtime patient of his who had suddenly experienced shortness of breath two months after coronary artery...

    Conference Highlights

    Conference Highlights

    Verna L. Rose

    (25th Annual Meeting of the North American Primary Care Research Group) For cesarean sections performed by family physicians, the clinical outcomes in both women and their infants are excellent compared with standard measures of surgical care, according to results of an...

    Special Medical Reports

    American Urological Association Recommends Observation for the Majority of Cases of Ureteral Calculi

    VERNA L. ROSE

    Most calculi that are lodged in the ureter but are not causing excruciating pain for the patient can best be managed initially by observation without resorting to surgery, according to new treatment guidelines issued by the American Urological Association (AUA). Because...

    ACOG Issues Report on Management of Operative Injuries of the Urinary Tract

    SHARON SCOTT MOREY

    The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, under the auspices of the ACOG Committee on Educational Bulletins, has issued a report (ACOG Educational Bulletin No. 238) on the diagnosis and management of operative injuries of the urethra, bladder and ureters....

    Clinical Briefs

    Clinical Briefs

    VERNA ROSE

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued preliminary recommendations for the medical management of persons who took the diet drugs fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine. The recommendations, published in the November 14, 1997, issue of Morbidity and...

    Letters to the Editor

    Helicobacter pylori Serology in Evaluation of Dyspepsia

    Shoulder Dislocations in Patients Over 40: Rotator Cuff Tear?

    ROBERT H. BELL, RUSSELL A. MOUNTS

    Intrathecal Narcotics for Labor Analgesia

    Tips from Other Journals

    Benefit of Theophylline on COPD-Related Erythrocytosis

    BARBARA APGAR

    Calcium Supplementation and Prevention of Preeclampsia

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Cytology of Fluid from Nonpalpable Breast Masses

    BARBARA APGAR

    Childhood Spanking and Increased Antisocial Behavior

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Magnetic Fields and Risk of Childhood Leukemia

    KATHRYN M. ANDOLSEK

    Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Giardiasis

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Characteristics and Symptoms in Patients with Autism

    KATHRYN M. ANDOLSEK

    Ultrasonographic Dating for Down Syndrome Screening

    BARBARA APGAR

    Ceftriaxone vs. Doxycycline for Disseminated Lyme Disease

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Effect of Chlorthalidone on Prevention of Heart Failure

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Steroid-Sparing Effect of Methotrexate in Asthma

    JEFFREY T. KIRCHNER

    Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in the Elderly

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Eliminating LDH Tests in Acute Myocardial Infarction

    BARBARA APGAR

    Screening for Depression: Two Questions to Ask Patients

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Nocturnal Hypoglycemia in Children with Type 1 Diabetes

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Accelerated vs. Conventional Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Sexual Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus

    BARBARA APGAR

    Safety of Tetracycline, Minocycline and Doxycycline

    BARBARA S. APGAR

    Cryptococcal Meningitis in Patients with AIDS

    KATHRYN M. ANDOLSEK

    Withdrawal of Medication for High Blood Pressure

    KATHRYN M. ANDOLSEK

    Treatment of Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in AIDS Patients

    KATHRYN M. ANDOLSEK

    Antibiotic Utilization in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

    BARBARA APGAR

    Oral Contraceptives, HRT and Risk of Thromboembolism

    BARBARA APGAR

    Macrosomia, Method of Delivery and Birth Injury

    BARBARA APGAR

    Laparoscopy vs. Laparotomy for Benign Ovarian Masses

    BARBARA APGAR

    Influenza Vaccine 1997–1998: An Overview and Comparison

    BARBARA APGAR

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Four Exercises to Strengthen the Muscles of Your Rotator Cuff

    Remember that the exercises described on the next two pages, which help strengthen the muscles of your shoulder (especially the rotator cuff), should not cause you pain. If the exercise hurts, use a smaller weight and stop exercising when the pain begins.

    Lead and Your Health

    Lead can get into your body in two ways: inhalation (breathing it in) and ingestion (eating it). You might breathe in lead dust or lead fumes without even knowing it. You can swallow lead dust if it gets in your food or drinks. You might even swallow lead dust if you eat...

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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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