Expert Interviews

Experts discuss the efficacy of the latest vaccines against currently circulating strains of COVID-19, commenting on how long immunity lasts from these vaccines.

Drs Tina Q Tan and Rodney Rohde review the importance of vaccinating against COVID-19 to prevent long COVID, as well as highlight the current vaccination recommendations.

Angela Fitch, MD, discusses the importance of clinician education in addressing obesity with patients.

President of the Obesity Medicine Association discusses a recent joint statement from the OMA and 4 other organizations calling for inclusion of patients with obesity in drug research.

Angela Fitch, MD, president of the Obesity Medicine Association discusses key pharmaceutical and research developments in obesity medicine in 2023.

Tina Q. Tan, MD and Rodney Rohde, PhD, MS, SM(ASCP)CM, provide an overview of long COVID and describe the different symptoms patients may experience.

Physiatrist Dr Espiritu McKay works closely with primary care clinicians in getting performing artists back to work and stresses that early referral can make a big difference.

The injured dancer needs to perform on closing night; the physiatrist may need to securely tape an ankle in exchange for a promise that this performance will be the last for a while.

Tracy Espiritu McKay, DO, a former musical theater performer, can almost feel her patient's pain. She highlights treatment challenges and says early referral after injury is key.

Speaking about treating mental health symptoms linked to COVID-19 infection, Dr Abby Cheng reiterates the importance of validating the patient's experience.

Is the patient's low energy related to long COVID-related depression, post-exertional malaise, both? The differential diagnosis is all about nuance, says physiatrist Cheng.

Physiatrist Abby Cheng, MD, an author of the AAPM&R Long COVID Mental Health Consensus Guidance Statement, discusses why the symptoms can be confusing.

Reducing stigma associated with chronic liver disease and expediting diagnosis and referral will take some time but progress is being made, Luxon says.

Transplant hepatologist Dr Bruce Luxon says primary care is essential to making progress against chronic liver disease but doesn't have the resources it needs.

Dr Nancy Reau, presents the case of a 59-Year-Old male, who was admitted to the ICU after his family was unable to wake him and comments on the role of TIPS and SPSS shunting in the management of hepatic encephalopathy.

Nancy Reau, MD presents the case of a 64-Year-Old female, who presented to the clinic after a recent car accident and discusses how she approached her treatment plan.

Arun Jesudian, MD, details key findings from a study he recently presented at The Liver Meeting 2023.

Physiatrist Saloni Sharma, MD, stresses the essential role of coordinated, multidisciplinary care for a person with neuropathic pain—and any person with limited function.

An expert in the management of hypothyroidism discusses the circumstances that might warrant a referral to an endocrinologist. She further focuses on how to set the appropriate visit frequency and emphasizes how to empower patients to actively participate in their care.

Dr. Lizzy McAninch, comments on the intricate details of LT4 medication administration, including the need for dose titration to normalize hormone levels and achieve treatment goals. She highlights the need for flexibility in accommodating patients' individual preferences and lifestyles regarding the timing and manner of LT4 medication ingestion, all while stressing the critical importance of consistent laboratory monitoring

Lizzy McAninch, MD discusses primary therapy goals for patients with hypothyroidism, highlighting the importance of normalizing serum TSH, alleviating symptoms, and avoiding overmedication. She emphasizes that symptoms can persistent even when target TSH levels have been met; necessitating discussions between patients and healthcare providers to set treatment expectations, with a focus on symptom relief and personalized treatment optimization due to the lifelong nature of this condition.

Chiadi Ndumele, MD, PhD, MHS, offers 3 thoughts for primary care on incorporating CKM syndrome screening into daily clinical practice.

An obesity specialist discusses the importance of using a weight-first approach when educating patients about obesity's role in the development and worsening of hypertension.

According to physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Saloni Sharma, MD, treatment for neuropathic pain draws on PM&R's many strengths.

"Primary care physicians... really are like the quarterbacks" for initiating multidisciplinary care for CKM syndrome, says Dr Chiadi Ndumele.

Patients with obesity and hypertension need to be aggressively treated in order to decrease their risk of cardiovascular complications, says Dr Jonathan Parker, President of the Alabama Obesity Society.

Managing cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome on a population-wide basis requires that social determinants of health be treated like any other risk factor, according to Ndumele.

Dr Chiadi Ndumele explains the need for the more comprehensive and also nuanced qualitative approach to estimating long-term CVD risk.

Chiadi Ndumele, MD, PhD, MHS, of Johns Hopkins University, details features of the new 4-stage construct that guides CKM diagnosis and promotes early disease intervention.

Ndumele chairs the American Heart Association committee that characterized the syndrome and wrote the statement of evidence for its assessment and management.