Latest Articles
- An 18-year-oldwith effort-related arm swelling
A high school senior with a baseball scholarship presents with the acute onset of swelling in his nondominant arm. What is the most likely diagnosis and the most appropriate initial diagnostic test?
- At what age should we discontinue colon cancer screening in the elderly?
In general, you should stop when you do not expect the patient to live 7 to 10 more years. However, the full answer is more complicated.
Recognizing and managing fibromuscular dysplasiaMany physicians consider fibromuscular dysplasia to be rare, but it is not that uncommon: it is simply often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
- Interpreting the African American Heart Failure Trial(A-HEFT)
This placebo-controlled trial was the first to evaluate a therapy in a specific racial group, and it points the way to a more individualized approach to heart failure therapy.
- An elderly woman with severe anemia
Her hemoglobin level is 7.7 g/dL, and a peripheral blood smear shows hypochromic microcytic erythrocytes. What is the most likely cause?
- Metabolic syndrome: Controversial but useful
The cluster of obesity, impaired fasting glucose, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hypertension may not be a “real” syndrome in the strict sense, but it can still be a useful concept if it helps persuade patients to undertake healthy lifestyle changes.
- Managing genital herpes infections in pregnancy
Primary care physicians can improve the mother’s health and reduce the chance of transmission from mother to neonate by diagnosing and managing genital herpes before or during pregnancy—or better yet, by helping to prevent it.