HIV AIDS

In response to the Practical Pointer "Cholesterol Mnemonic Aids Patient Education" (CONSULTANT, August 2008) about patients who have difficulty remembering the difference between HDL and LDL cholesterol, I use "H" is for happy and "L" is for lousy!

Although the future clinical implications of mutations in the H1N1 influenza virus remain unclear, these changes do not pose an immediate threat.

The Fifth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention (IAS 2009) was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from July 19 to 22, 2009. More than 5500 delegates from more than 100 countries attended this annual event.

While the facts support the claim from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that beneficiaries have “robust” choices in the sign-up period for 2010 Part D drug coverage plans that begins in November, the number of options available have continued to decline. At the peak in 2007, 1875 stand-alone Medicare drug plans were offered; this year, the number had shrunk to 1659, and the total for next year will be 1510.

No matter what primary care demographic your practice represents, it would be most unusual not to encounter patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Since HCV infection is chronic and can lead to cirrhosis (occurring in 20% of patients over a period of 10 to 20 years), decisions regarding its management, referral, and follow-up are of the utmost importance.

The medications currently approved for the treatment of insomnia include 9 benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA) hypnotics and the selective melatonin receptor agonist ramelteon.

What meaning resides in the series as a whole? To me, it embodies deep-seated belief and central practice: the primacy of time spent with the patient, gathering meaningful information and building the relationship that is often the most powerful therapeutic instrument we have. From the second year of medical school I planned to become a good physical examiner. I hungered for patient contact amidst a sterile curriculum. Also, I arrogantly, short-sightedly failed to see how the unpalatable basic science years formed a crucial, deep, and rational foundation for clinical understanding. Thirty-five years on, I have honed my skills. But daily I doubt some findings and interpretations; any clinician who is always sure is a fraud and a fool.

A 30-year-old man is admitted for profound, symptomatic anemia.

The development of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has increased morbidity and mortality associated with tuberculosis (TB) and has greatly increased the costs of care for patients with this disease.

More than half of travelers to the developing world experience a health-related problem during their trip, with 8% requiring medical attention on their return because of persistent symptoms. The GeoSentinel database, a collaborative effort among 31 travel medicine clinics on 6 different continents, suggests that the most common diagnoses in these persons continue to be malaria (24%), dengue fever (6%), acute traveler’s diarrhea (4%), and typhoid fever (2%).

For a month, an obese 50-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension had blurry vision in both eyes. During this time, she also had ataxia and right-sided numbness. For the past 2 days, she had had horizontal, binocular diplopia with right gaze.

Human infections with a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus were first identified in April 2009, with cases in the United States and Mexico. The epidemiology and clinical presentations of these infections are under investigation.

The recent report on an HIV-positive cardiothoracic surgeon in Israel has offered a contemporary perspective on the risks of transmission of HIV in health care settings, specifically surgical settings.

For 2 weeks, a 52-year-old man had progressive fatigue and myalgias. On the morning of presentation, he could not walk. He took no medications but reported chronic, intermittent use of alcohol, intranasal cocaine, and marijuana. He had ingested alcohol 2 weeks earlier and had used cocaine 3 days earlier. Vital signs were normal. The patient had bilateral upper and lower extremity weakness. The proximal muscle groups were affected to a greater degree, with 2/5 strength in the shoulder and hip girdles bilaterally compared with 4/5 strength distally. He had significant difficulty in raising himself to a seated position and when attempting to stand. Results of a complete blood cell count and basic chemistry panel were normal. Serum creatine kinase (CK) was mildly elevated at 9030 U/L. Urinalysis showed 3+ blood, with coarse granular casts but no red blood cells.

If Shakespeare were alive, he would urge caution regarding the “Ides of Influenza.” Recent publicity about global influenza, a result of both potential and real avian and swine flu epidemics, has led to a plethora of theories as well as alarm. How can the primary care practitioner answer questions, educate, prepare, and alleviate anxiety?

If Shakespeare were alive, he would urge caution regarding the “Ides of Influenza.” Recent publicity about global influenza, a result of both potential and real avian and swine flu epidemics, has led to a plethora of theories as well as alarm.

For 1 week, a 77-year-old man had a fever and a tender, nonpruritic rash on both palms (Figure 1) and on the anterior aspect of both knees (Figure 2). Two weeks earlier, he had hives, which ameliorated after a 10-day course of cetirizine and a tapering course of prednisone. He also had headaches almost daily for the previous 6 to 8 weeks.

Here we provide a list of questions with links that can help you respond to patients who may be asking you about H1N1 virus infection (swine flu). Topics include travel restrictions and recommendations for persons with chronic disorders.

On the hundredth day of the new administration, the President’s campaign promise of health care reform looks less like a gamble and more like a sure bet. But are policymakers throwing down the deed to the ranch?

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans will feel a major effect next year from the switchover from the Bush administration to the Obama administration. One of the first actions taken by President Barack Obama-just 2 days after his inauguration-was to revoke the 2010 draft Call Letter that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) had issued for MA plans. The new draft Call Letter suggests harsher rules and more oversight in a number of specific areas.

Sometimes we try to distill long experience into words, whether aphorisms or full paragraphs. Rilke’s wonderful prose poem expresses this very well in the part that begins, “For the sake of a single verse, one must see many cities, men and things. . . . ”1 While medicine has only some features in common with poetry, what reverberates is the wish to impart an affecting draught of beauty or wisdom or insight, in the case of poetry, after many years and decades of immersion in life; and I here offer some fruits of long observation and participation “hip deep” in clinical care and in the teaching of residents.

A 50-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with severe dizziness, weakness, and dyspnea of 1 week’s duration. Ten days earlier, an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was diagnosed; over-the-counter cough syrup and acetaminophen were prescribed. However, the patient’s condition has steadily deteriorated since then. In addition, her urine has darkened over the past few days.

A 76-year-old man is seen because of redness below the right eye. Has long-standing “lazy eye” on the left, which is chronically deviated outward. Has lived in nursing home for some years due to self-care deficit from memory loss. No recent eye surgery, conjunctivitis, sinus infection, or periocular trauma.

A 51-year-old man is admitted to the hospital with painful ulcers on both lower extremities, severe anemia, and a 45-kg (100-lb) weight loss over the past year. Pain from the ulcers prevents him from walking. The ulcers developed about 5 years earlier, as a result of his wearing high boots for work; they began as small sores and grew over time.

A 30-year-old man with a 15 packyear smoking history presented for a follow-up evaluation of an asymptomatic whitish lesion on the tongue of 4 months’ duration. The lesion had not responded to oral therapy with either nystatin or fluconazole. The patient was distressed about the lesion’s appearance and his inability to remove it with a toothbrush.