More articles from Medical Grand Rounds
- HIV update 2005
Therapy is out of reach for most people who need it in developing nations. Side effects of long-term therapy include fat redistribution, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and increased cardiovascular risk.
- A practical program for preventing delirium in hospitalized elderly patients
Delirium in hospitalized elderly patients is common, often unrecognized, and can lead to serious complications. A systematic program can improve the rate of recognition and decrease the rate of incidence.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: How to diagnose and quickly treat itThe most common cause of dizziness in the elderly can be diagnosed and treated with a simple maneuver that can quickly be performed in the office.
- Polymyalgia rheumatica: Clinical presentation is key to diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosing polymyalgia rheumatica can be likened to the saying, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.”
- Shared medical appointments: Increasing patient access without increasing physician hours
Physicians meet with a group of patients simultaneously during a 90-minute visit. Patients get improved access and education, and physicians improve productivity.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: More aggressive approach improves outlook
Gone is the “pyramid” approach. Now, as soon as the diagnosis is established, we start a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, usually methotrexate.
- Common infections in clinical practice: Dealing with the daily uncertainties
Urinary tract infections, vaginitis, upper respiratory tract infections, and soft-tissue infections present a number of uncertainties, including whether to start antibiotic therapy and which agents to use.
- Scleroderma: A treatable disease
Scleroderma can be effectively treated in many cases now, thanks to a better understanding of its pathogenesis and new therapies.
- SARS: Here to stay?
Every health care institution should take precautions against an outbreak of SARS.
- Does this patient have Alzheimer disease? Diagnosing and treating dementia
Three patients come to your office. Can you be sure any of them has Alzheimer disease—or does not?
