Expert Interviews

Caissa Troutman, MD, shares 3 key strategies for managing hypertension in patients with obesity in primary care.

Panelists discuss how validated questionnaires, clinical assessment tools, and overnight monitoring devices can help identify patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, though polysomnography remains the gold standard for definitive diagnosis.

Panelists discuss how various obstacles impede obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis, including limited access to sleep studies, lack of patient awareness, high costs, long wait times for testing, and inconsistent screening practices among health care providers.

Caissa Troutman, MD, stresses the importance of building trust with patients through active listening and consistent, non-judgmental communication.

Peter McAllister, MD,

Obesity medicine expert Caissa Troutman, MD, suggests using annual physicals as a "gateway" to identify patients with obesity with elevated blood pressure.

Neurologist and clinical investigator Peter McAllister, MD, is eager to make progress in research on diagnosis and treatment and to hear more patient voices.

Panelists discuss how health care providers can identify patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnea through screening tools, clinical history assessment, and recognition of key symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, and witnessed breathing pauses during sleep.

Migraine expert Peter McAllister, MD, a long-time principal investigator for migraine studies, wonders if study design in this area needs to be re-evaluated.

Caissa Troutman, MD, an obesity medicine and family medicine physician, emphasizes early treatment of obesity, along with HTN management, can improve patient outcomes.

"This AHS statement has exceeded our wildest dreams..." McAllister said of the impact of the society recommendation that CGRP inhibitors be considered among first-line treatment for migraine.

Significant strides were made in 2024 in evaluating a wide range of treatments for migraine, including phase 2 findings with PACAP inhibition, PI McAllister said.

The onset of migraine with its wide range of symptoms may be telegraphed as early as 2 days before by the frequency of neuronal oscillation deep in the brain.

Agitation affects at least one half of adults with Alzheimer disease; geriatric psychiatrist Grossberg explains the symptoms and new treatments in this year's video series.

Panelists discuss how untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) significantly increases patients’ risk of serious health complications, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and cognitive impairment while exacerbating existing comorbidities.

Geriatric psychiatrist and neurocognitive researcher George Grossberg, MD, highlights the mechanism of action for the new dextromethorphan/bupropion combination.

Todd W. Frieze, MD, discusses the therapeutic role of TSH suppression in differentiated thyroid cancer, as well as treatment goals and ongoing surveillance strategies.

Alex Tessnow, MD, reviews the presentation of hypothyroidism among elderly patients and outlines key considerations for treatment.

Panelists discuss how delaying intervention during Stage 2 Type 1 diabetes increases the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis and complications at diagnosis, while also potentially accelerating beta cell destruction and reducing the window for preservation therapies.

Panelists discuss how Type 1 diabetes progresses through distinct stages, from initial autoimmunity with normal blood glucose (Stage 1), to dysglycemia without symptoms (Stage 2), to clinical diagnosis with symptoms (Stage 3), marking critical intervention points for treatment and management.

Panelists discuss how screening for Type 1 diabetes should focus on identifying high-risk individuals through family history, genetic markers, and autoantibody testing, while emphasizing the importance of early detection to prevent diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.

Panelists discuss how delayed intervention in stage II type 1 diabetes can accelerate β cell destruction, leading to more severe clinical onset, increased risk of serious complications like diabetic ketoacidosis, and poorer long-term outcomes.

Panelists discuss how type 1 diabetes progresses through distinct stages, beginning with asymptomatic autoantibody presence, followed by dysglycemia, and ultimately manifesting with classic symptoms like excessive thirst, frequent urination, and unexplained weight loss.

Panelists discuss early testing with autoantibody screening for type 1 diabetes in at-risk individuals, particularly those with family history or genetic predisposition, to avoid DKA at diagnosis and allow time for patient and family preparation.

Panelists discuss the burden of living with type 1 diabetes, including high levels of stress and anxiety and talk about how they help patients manage the daily requirements.

Panelists discuss how obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) disrupts normal breathing during sleep through repeated upper airway collapse, leading to fragmented sleep patterns, daytime fatigue, and potential long-term health complications if left untreated.

Panelists discuss how Type 1 diabetes imposes significant physical, emotional, and financial burdens on patients through the lifelong need for insulin therapy, blood glucose monitoring, lifestyle modifications, and management of potential complications.

Robert Hopkins, Jr, MD, NFID medical director, details a range of resources on the foundation's website including in-depth vaccine recommendations, live webinars, plus much more.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases medical director appeals to the community at large to set politics and personal grievance aside and to "first, do no harm."

Experts talk about the impact of a collaborative and supportive patient-provider relationship in the management of IBS-C and CIC.