Table of Contents
From the Editor
- Influenza: It’s right to bare arms
As busy as we are, it is worth spending extra time to aggressively promote immunization to our patients, our staff, and ourselves.
The Clinical Picture
- Black hairy tongue
A 71-year-old man presents for evaluation of an asymptomatic black discoloration of the tongue. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Review
- Carcinoid tumors: What should increase our suspicion?
Patients often present with vague, nonspecific symptoms, and unless the primary care physician suspects that the patient has a carcinoid tumor, the appropriate testing is seldom ordered.
- Parkinson disease: Not just a movement disorder
Nonmotor symptoms—sensory, autonomic, and behavioral—are common and important to recognize, as they can lead to even more serious complications and impair quality of life.
- 2008–2009 Influenza update: A better vaccine match
Last flu season, some people may have lost their faith in flu shots. In the 2008–2009 flu season, we hope to do better.
- Bisphosphonates and osteonecrosis of the jaw: Innocent association or significant risk?
A cause-and-effect relationship has not been established, and most of the reported cases have been in patients with cancer who were receiving much higher doses than those used in osteoporosis or Paget disease of the bone.
Hepatitis B virus infection: Understanding its epidemiology, course, and diagnosisInternists should be aware of the natural history of hepatitis B virus infection, a vital prerequisite to assessing disease severity and determining the need for antiviral therapy.
Departments
- A medical center is not a hospital: More letters (September 2008)
Comments on Dr. Thomas Lansdale’s provocative essay in the September 2008 issue.
Commentary
Dr. Thomas Lansdale’s commentary in the September issue resonated with many physicians because he so eloquently captured the increasing frustration that many physicians feel.