February 5th 2024
Reported cases of chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea in the US surpassed 2.5 million for the third time in 5 years, according to CDC.
Oro-labial Herpes Simplex (“Cold Sores”)
May 15th 2013This clustered grouping of small, shallow erosions surmounting a slightly indurated plaque is characteristic for “cold sores.” Because no vesicles were present and the lesions appeared to be crusting over, the patient was advised to apply an OTC cream (docosanol 10%) per package insert instructions.
Condylomata Acuminata (Severe External Genital Warts)
January 28th 2013Condylomata acuminata this extensive are beyond the capacity of all topical therapies. The area was initially treated by carbon dioxide laser ablation, and residual small foci of infection were subsequently treated with topical 5% imiquimod cream.
Hepatitis B Virus: 5 Things Primary Care Physicians Need to Know Now
March 22nd 2012Did you know: The hepatitis B virus is the only human virus that is routinely tested for by measuring a marker, or “footprint,” of the virus in the blood? Here, an explanation for this and 4 more things you need to know about HBV.
Politics and the HPV Vaccine: How Would You Respond?
September 20th 2011Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann recently caught the attention of a lot of people when, during a television interview following a Presidential debate, she claimed that the HPV vaccine has “very significant consequences.”
Young Woman With Atypical Presentation of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis Syndrome
February 18th 2011A 22-year-old woman presented to her primary care physician’s office with right lower quadrant and suprapubic abdominal pain. She stated that the pain had begun earlier that day; she had no symptoms on awakening that morning.
Is this asymptomatic penile lesion an HPV infection?
March 3rd 2010For several weeks, a 33-year-old man has had an asymptomatic lesion on the head of the penis. He has had a new sex partner in the past few months but is unaware of any health problems she may have. What is the likely cause of this lesion?
HIV Update From the 2009 International AIDS Society Conference-Cape Town, South Africa
November 23rd 2009The 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.
What to Do for Patients With Hepatitis C?
November 3rd 2009No 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.
Digestive Diseases Cost $141.8 Billion Annually
March 14th 2009Digestive diseases are costly to manage, with annual costs totaling $141.8 billion in 2004 (Figure 1), according to an NIH report. Direct costs associated with digestive diseases jumped from $85 billion in 1998 to nearly $98 billion in 2004. Prescription drug costs alone were $12.3 billion. Indirect costs for digestive diseases more than doubled, from $20 billion in 1998 to $44 billion in 2004, of which $32.8 billion was associated with lost productivity caused by increased mortality.