Latest Articles
Eosinophilic esophagitis: An increasingly recognized cause of dysphagia, food impaction, and refractory heartburnThis disease, which was not described as a distinct clinical entity until 1993, may be due to allergic and immune-mediated mechanisms similar to those of asthma and other atopic diseases.
- A case of refractory diarrhea
She has a history of irritable bowel syndrome, but could it be something more? A self-test on a clinical case.
- What is the proper workup of a patient with hypertension?
If we were to launch an intensive workup for every patient with high blood pressure, the cost and effort would be enormous. Fortunately, accurate blood pressure measurement, a focused history and physical examination, and a handful of basic tests are often enough.
- A medical center is not a hospital
After 23 years in hospital medicine, a department chairman and clinician-educator calls it quits.
- New asthma guidelines emphasize control, regular monitoring
The goal of asthma therapy is to achieve control, thereby reducing current impairment and future risk. Asthma control can be assessed serially by using validated instruments.
- IgA nephropathy: Challenges and opportunities
We now have a reasonably complete understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease, but its etiology remains mysterious, its therapy remains largely empiric, and its course remains hard to predict. Many opportunities exist for improvement.
- Sudden hair loss associated with trachyonychia
A 30-year-old woman has been having episodes of sudden hair loss in well-demarcated areas of her scalp for the past 6 months. What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Identifying serious causes of back pain: Cancer, infection, fracture
Most patients with back pain have a benign condition, but tumors, infections, and fractures must be considered during an initial evaluation because overlooking them can have serious consequences.
Congenital long QT syndrome: Considerations for primary care physiciansWe now know more about the genetic basis of different types of long QT syndrome and their clinical implications. In one type, patients can die suddenly during exercise, in another, during inactivity, and in a third, when startled, such as by an alarm clock. The right therapy can dramatically reduce the risk.
- Update in infectious disease treatment
Important studies in infectious disease over the last year cover Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, the safety of cefepime, acute sinusitis, Bell palsy, antifungal prophylaxis in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and invasive candidiasis.