At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, held early this month in Florida, specialists learned a great deal that is important to primary care. Among the most noteworthy presentations: Why primary care isn't following asthma guidelines, the importance of body weight in asthma treatment, and the future of sublingual allergy drugs.
This rounded 0.5-cm ulcerated lesion with a slightly raised border between the helix and the antihelix had been present on an 85-year-old man’s ear for an unknown period.
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy may develop in patients who have normal or impaired fasting blood glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, precursors to frank diabetes.
A 58-year-old man presents with myalgias of approximately 1 week’s duration. He had been recently treated for sinusitis and symptoms resolved. His only medications were hydrochlorothiazide for hypertension and simvastatin for hyperlipidemia. He and his wife had gone camping 1 month before this visit.
A large randomized trial showing no effect of antibiotics on acute rhinosinusitis in adults does not inspire a change in recommendations for family physicians.
The combination of electronic medical records and office-based genomic profiling, both on the visible horizon, could herald a coming era when asthma treatments are more rational and less empirical.
Infants of nevirapine-treated mothers have a fourfold lower rate of postnatal HIV transmission.
There is an old saying in real estate that the 3 most important features about a property for sale are “location, location, and location.” In medicine, an equivalent aphorism for the best way to avoid legal problems is “document, document, and document.”
The revised GOLD guidelines redefine treatment objectives, change standards for the use of spirometry, and redefine exacerbation, with special emphasis on comorbidities.
Patient who have had a hip prosthesis operation (and many others) habitually rotate their legs outward. Devices such as shoes with outriders either fail to keep them rotated inwardly or cause pressure sores on the feet.
Two promising new drugs for hepatitis C interfere with antiretrovirals, particularly ritonavir. Caution is advised when treating co-infected patients.
The evidence from a large risk surveillance is robust. The study even controlled for intake of fruits, vegetables, water, and juice. Here are suggestions for patients who may find it difficult to break the habit.
When attempting closed reduction of a fractured or dislocated finger, do you ever find it so slippery that you can’t get a good grip?
If patients complain of numbness and weakness of one or both hands, ask if they regularly ride a bicycle.
An important goal of anti-retroviral therapy is preventing transmission of the virus. The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute offers detailed new guidance on how to achieve this.
A quick tip to make blood draws safer and easier
Unfortunately, the growing epidemics of hypertension and gout are often a package deal. Recent data demonstrate that 74% of people with gout are also hypertensive.
