More articles from From the editor
- LVH and hypertension: Is treating the pressure not enough?
I am not sure the weight of current evidence supports routinely screening hypertensive patients for left ventricular hypertrophy using echocardiography, but the concept warrants consideration and study.
- The complexities of vitamin D
Patients with conditions as diverse as systemic lupus erythematosus and congestive heart failure seem to fare worse if they have lower vitamin D levels. But the seeming simplicity of this association belies several levels of complexity, with resultant clinical controversy.
- The pretravel visit: A ‘teaching moment’
Often, a pretravel visit is also a good time to introduce concepts of preventive health to patients who might not otherwise be accessible or amenable.
- Vaccination: An option not to be ignored
Outbreaks of measles are seemingly on the rise, mainly because of lower vaccination rates, which are in part due to the unfounded fear that the vaccine causes autism.
- Important changes to our CME program
Starting this month, readers can earn CME credit on a per-article basis. Each article that bears the CME logo is a separate CME test, each worth 1 credit.
- Evidence, limes, and cement
Sometimes, the results of clinical trials do not immediately affect what physicians do because the results do not jibe with experience.
- Low bone density is not always bisphosphonate deficiency
Low bone density is not a one-size-fits-all disorder. We need to carefully consider the diagnostic and therapeutic options before assuming that low bone density is osteoporosis.
- Low-tech tools, high-pressure stakes
Despite the many ways to introduce inaccuracies in low-tech cuff measurements of blood pressure, the benefits of treating high blood pressure diagnosed this way can be great.
- No pig in a poke
As we approach the 2009 flu season, “swine flu” presents a real and distinct concern for patients, clinicians, and public health officials.
- Vertebroplasty, evidence, and health care reform: What is quality care?
Two recent trials found that a popular procedure for fixing vertebral fractures lacks efficacy. Like it or not, in the future, such evidence is going to affect whether insurers pay for care.