Editorial Board About Us Contact Us Newsletters FAQ Issue Archive

RSS | Login | Register

Family Physician

BP variability may signal cardiovascular events

May 10, 2010

Visit-to-visit variability in systolic BP was more predictive of ischemic stroke than of hemorrhagic stroke.

Rapidly growing tumor on the forearm

By Travis Vandergriff, MD May 05, 2010

Six weeks after it appeared, this small red bump on the patient's right forearm had become an erythematous, crater-shaped nodule.

Shiny, waxy patches on the shins

By Craig G. Burkhart, MD, MPH May 05, 2010

A woman with a history of type 2 diabetes presented with a recent onset of asymptomatic, shiny, waxy, round patches on her shins that turned from red to yellow.

Doctor, can I just go on vacation first?

Ann W. Latner, JD May 04, 2010

A GP finds himself the defendant in wrongful death suit, when he allows the patient to delay a follow-up visit.

Anti-diabetes measures have lasting payoff

April 28, 2010

Intensive lifestyle changes aimed at modest weight loss and increased physical activity continue to reduce the rate of type 2 diabetes after 10 years.

New wrist-fracture guideline

April 27, 2010

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline focusing on distal radius fractures.

Hypopigmented patches on the body

Sean D. Doherty, MD April 21, 2010

Two young girls presented with hypopigmented patches—one on the right buttock, the other on the knees, fingers, and ankles.

Blood clots a threat in bowel disease

April 12, 2010

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is 16 times more likely to strike a nonhospitalized person with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than the...

Resistant hypertension tied to less sleep

April 07, 2010

Short sleep time and poor sleep efficiency may have an etiologic role.

Painful tightening of the skin on the legs

March 30, 2010

A 62-year-old man presented with a painful rash over both legs. He first experienced a problem three years prior when he developed painful erythema over his shins. Treatment for...

Be sure a spoonful of medicine is just that

March 25, 2010

Make sure your patients administer liquid medicine in accurate measures when they are at home.

Treating overall risk in CAD

March 23, 2010

A tailored-treatment strategy prevents more CAD events than a treat-to-target approach.

Should patients at low-to-moderate cardiac risk receive beta-blockers before undergoing noncardiac surgery?

Jennifer S. Williams, MMS, PA-C; Kristen K. Will, MHPE, PA-C; Zachary C. Hartsell, MPAS, PA-C; Adriane I. Budavari, MD March 16, 2010

Self-monitoring in non-insulin-dependent diabetes

March 11, 2010

Should non-insulin-dependent patients with type 2 diabetes be self-monitoring? See what the latest report from Germany has to say.

Invest in companies with advantages that competitors cannot duplicate

March 10, 2010

Warren Buffett has often talked about investing in companies that are protected by "wide moats." Such businesses dominate their markets for years because...

Daytime sleepiness may point to Alzheimer's risk

March 10, 2010

A new study suggests that cognitive fluctuations could pose a greater risk for Alzheimer's in older individuals.

What lies behind the vitamin D revolution?

Ronald L. Hoffman, MD March 08, 2010

Once known primarily for maintaining bone strength, vitamin D is now thought to contribute to the prevention of colon, prostate, and breast cancers.

Pressure-induced bumps and erythema

Craig G. Burkhart, MD, MPH March 03, 2010

A patient presents with complaints of itchy and uncomfortable red bumps on his skin at sites of pressure, but the lesions typically dissipate after an hour.

Herpes zoster risk in an infant

Question asked by Daren Rauch, MD, Clinton, Ill., and answered by Jeffrey M. Weinberg, MD March 02, 2010

The 35-year-old father of a 5-month-old baby presented with a five-day history of painful herpes zoster and a number of questions: Is his child at risk...

Erythematous truncal plaques

Sean D. Doherty, MD March 02, 2010

Can you distinguish between similar plaques? Our dermatologic look-alike may stump you.

Cutaneous symptoms reveal an unintentionally obscured disease

Matthew S. Rice, LTC, MC, USA March 01, 2010

As a health-care professional, this patient sought informal options that led to a delay in...

Antibiotic UTI prophylaxis slightly better

February 17, 2010

Growing antibiotic resistance has investigators testing novel non-antibiotic prophylaxis approaches for recurrent UTIs. One promising approach involves the use of....

Managing UTIs in debilitated patients

Anthony J. Schaeffer, MD February 17, 2010

Among this patient population, urinary tract infections are a serious complication--causing significant morbidity and mortality.

Nonhealing painless ulcer on the sole

Michael L. Sonabend, MD, Nicholas R. Snavely, MD, and Sylvia Hsu, MD February 03, 2010

For three years, the patient lived with an enlarging painless ulcer on the sole of his foot. The lesion....

Hyperkeratotic plaques that run in the family

Craig G. Burkhart, MD, MPH February 02, 2010

The mother of an 8-year-old boy came seeking treatment for "a family ailment." Both mother and child had bilateral, symmetric, confluent hyperkeratotic plaques with a smooth, waxy surface on the....

Early-onset prostate cancer linked to fat intake

February 02, 2010

Men with a high dietary fat intake are at increased risk of prostate cancer at a relatively young age, a British study shows. Among men aged...

Increase skin cancer screening in primary care

February 01, 2010

Primary-care clinicians are ideally suited to screen and triage people who are at high risk for skin cancer and those with suspicious lesions, but a survey of medical residents revealed....

Quick test can indicate possible stroke

January 29, 2010

A one-minute eye movement exam involving three simple maneuvers may provide the key to initial diagnosis.

Caring for the geriatric patient: The initial visit

Kanwal Awan, MD January 21, 2010

Use the first visit to get as much information as possible about the patient's condition, functional status, and social situation. Older people often present with complex medical problems that...