• Articles

    Osteoarthritis: Diagnosis and Therapeutic Considerations

    RALPH HINTON, RON L. MOODY, ALAN W. DAVIS, SEAN F. THOMAS

    An estimated 40 million Americans of all ages are affected by osteoarthritis, and 70 to 90 percent of persons older than 75 years have at least one affected joint. New medications can help limit symptoms and improve function.

    Recognition and Management of Hereditary Hemochromatosis

    DAVID J. BRANDHAGEN, VIRGIL F. FAIRBANKS, WILLIAM BALDUS

    The diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis, an autosomal recessive single-gene disorder, is based on a combination of clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings (including elevated serum transferrin saturation) and, possibly, HFE gene testing. Patients with the disorder...

    Cholesterol Treatment Guidelines Update

    RICHARD S. SAFEER, PRABHA S. UGALAT

    The National Cholesterol Education Program has released its third set of guidelines, reflecting changes in cholesterol management. The new guidelines stress the importance of an aggressive therapeutic approach in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

    Identifying and Managing Preparatory Grief and Depression at the End of Life

    VYJEYANTHI S. PERIYAKOIL, JAMES HALLENBECK

    The symptoms traditionally used to identify depression may be imprecise in patients who are dying because these symptoms are also present in preparatory grief and as a part of the normal dying process.

    Lipoma Excision

    GOHAR A. SALAM

    Lipomas are slow-growing, benign tumors that most often appear in subcutaneous tissues. They can be treated with steroid injections, liposuction, enucleation, or excision.

    Rhabdomyolysis

    JOHN M. SAURET, GEORGE MARINIDES, GORDON K. WANG

    Rhabdomyolysis can be life-threatening. Early recognition of the syndrome and prompt management of complications are crucial to a successful outcome.

    Maternal Serum Triple Analyte Screening in Pregnancy

    J. CHRISTOPHER GRAVES, KARL E. MILLER, ANGELA D. SELLERS

    Serum analyte testing has become an important step in detecting congenital abnormalities. The triple screen, using alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, and unconjugated estriol, provides detection of neural tube defects and increases the detection of trisomies...

    Inside AFP

    Teaching Patients Better Health Habits

    Janis Wright

    The holidays are long gone, and you're moving rapidly through the new year, but many of your patients may still remember their New Year's resolutions and be wondering how to get started—and perhaps they need just a little motivation from their family physician. How often have...

    Newsletter

    Newsletter

    Rosemarie Sweeney, Matthew Neff

    AAFP Urges Congress to Reevaluate Medicare Payment Rates | HRSA Names 500th Critical Access Hospital | Survey Shows Improved Health Insurance Coverage for American Children | AAFP Responds to State of the Union, Addresses Key Health Care Issues

    Quantum Sufficit

    Quantum Sufficit

    Heather McNeill, Sarah Morgan

    “Hiccup…Boo!” A case report published in Southern Medical Journal shows that lidocaine may be effective in treating chronic, intractable hiccups. A 47-year-old man began having painful hiccups several times a minute after undergoing an exploratory laparotomy. After receiving...

    Editorials

    Improvement in Current Approaches to Lipid Lowering

    BENJAMIN J. ANSELL

    The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has updated its recommendations for cholesterol screening and therapeutic strategies based on coronary risk assessment.1 In this issue of American Family Physician, Safeer and Ugalat2 review the changes in the new NCEP Adult...

    End-of-Life Care

    RUSSELL G. ROBERTSON

    Organized medicine has proved to be somewhat unprepared for the current intensity of public interest in a domain—end-of-life care—that was once the province of physicians. Physicians have been appropriately criticized for providing expensive, futile care as well as being...

    Perinatal HIV Testing

    RICHARD D. FELDMAN

    What is the best approach to achieve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in pregnant women? This is a critical question because one of the great advances in HIV treatment has been the potential for virtual elimination of HIV transmission in perinatally exposed infants....

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Diary from a Week in Practice

    Misdiagnosis. The very word is an anathema to physicians. It connotes error, failure, and, perhaps, a threat. There is little comfort in the knowledge that all physicians make mistakes. When we make an incorrect diagnosis, it can haunt us—even when no harm befalls the patient...

    Clinical Evidence Handbook

    Low Back Pain

    MAURITIS W. VAN TULDER, BART W. KOES

    What are the effects of oral drug treatments for low back pain? What are the effects of local injections for low back pain? What are the effects of nondrug treatments for low back pain?

    Practice Guidelines

    AAP Updates Statement for Transfer of Drugs and Other Chemicals Into Breast Milk

    Genevieve Ressel

    A statement intended to update the list of agents transferred into breast milk and describe possible effects on the infant or lactation, if any are known, is now available from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

    Clinical Briefs

    Clinical Briefs

    Elaine Kierl Gangel

    CDC Fluoride Guidelines to Prevent Tooth Decay | Scientific Exhibit Deadlines for AAFP Assembly | 2001 Cancer Progress Report | Call for Papers of Family Practice Research Presentations | First Biologic Treatment for Sepsis | New Antiretroviral for HIV Infection | Initiatives...

    Letters to the Editor

    Physicians Should Not Be Referred to as ‘Providers’

    JOHN C. BROGAN

    Tips from Other Journals

    The Management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Sustained-Release Bupropion Delays Smoking Relapse

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Postmyocardial Patients Using Aspirin and Stroke Prevention

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Managing Dyspnea in Patients with Advanced COPD

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Heparin Reduces DVT with Transvenous Pacemakers

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Efficacy of Automated External Defibrillators Out of Hospital

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Is There a Connection Between Vaccines and Autism?

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Does HRT Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer?

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Oxytocin in Preventing Uterine Atony: High-Rate Infusion

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Effect of ACE Inhibitors on Nondiabetic Renal Disease

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Omega-3 Fatty Acids and CHD Prevention

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Prevention of Injuries Caused by Use of Infant Walkers

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Using Angiotensin Receptor Blockers for Renal Protection

    BILL ZEPF

    Midlife Hypertension Increases Later Stroke Risk

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    ACOG Update on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

    ANNE D. WALLING

    Transplantation Outcomes in Patients with Hepatitis C

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Acyclovir Is Useful in Treating Chickenpox in Children

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Family Physicians Working with Bereaved Patients

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Intermittent vs. Continuous Sibutramine for Weight Loss

    GRACE BROOKE HUFFMAN

    Focused CT Technique in Identifying Appendicitis

    RICHARD SADOVSKY

    Information from Your Family Doctor

    Hereditary Hemochromatosis

    Hereditary hemochromatosis is a health problem that is passed from parents to children. It is inherited by passing on the HFE gene. The HFE gene makes your body store too much iron. The extra iron builds up in your body. This is called “iron overload.” Iron overload can...

    Dying and Preparatory Grief

    Preparatory grief is the type of grief that people who are dying go through. They feel this grief as they go through the physical and emotional changes that are part of the dying process.

    What Are Lipomas?

    Lipomas are benign, slow-growing tumors that come from fat cells. They are not cancer. They are usually round, moveable, flattened lumps under the skin. They feel soft and doughy or rubbery. Lipomas usually grow in the neck, shoulders, back, or arms. They can occur at any age...

    Triple Screening in Pregnancy—What It Is and What to Expect

    A triple screen is a blood test that measures three things called alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin and unconjugated estriol. The results of the blood test can help your doctor see if your baby may be at higher risk for certain birth defects.

    Corrections

    Correction

    The article “Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine for Young Children” (May 15, 2001, page 1991) contained two errors. On page 1992, the last two sentences of the left-hand column should read as follows: “Rates of invasive pneumococcal disease among blacks are about twofold to...



    Disclosure

    All editors in a position to control content for this activity, AFP journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.


    Tag Legend

    Legend

    CME Continuing Medical Education Credit
    POC Point-of-Care Resource
    FREE Free Access
    Alg Algorithm
    DDx Differential Diagnosis
    PtEd Patient Education