More articles from Review
Acute leukemia with a very high leukocyte count: Confronting a medical emergencyFrom 5% to 30% of adult patients with acute leukemias present with hyperleukocytosis and leukostasis. Prompt action is needed.
- Treatment options for menopausal hot flashes
Alternatives to hormone therapy exist, but none is as effective as hormone therapy, and none is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for this purpose.
- Spinal tuberculosis deserves a place on the radar screen
There is no cause for complacency about tuberculosis. Spinal involvement may be the first manifestation.
- What kind of physical examination does a young athlete need before participating in sports?
Recommendations exist for preparticipation physical examinations, but there is no national standard, and the recommendations are not widely followed.
- The promise of targeted therapy: Cancer drugs become more specific
Cancer therapy is getting smarter, with new drugs that act specifically against cancer cells.
- A strategy to decrease the use of risky drugs in the elderly
Some medications are best avoided in elderly patients— and pharmacists can help physicians avoid them. We discuss our experience with reducing the use of three medications: meperidine, diphenhydramine, and amitriptyline.
- Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: Recent data on incidence and treatment
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is more common than previously thought. Cirrhotic patients with ascites are particularly susceptible. When it is discovered, something must be done quickly.
- The challenge of valvular heart disease: When is it time to operate?
Performed too soon, surgery needlessly exposes a patient to operative risks, but inappropriate delay may lead to cardiac damage and worse long-term outcome.
- Gynecomastia: Its features, and when and how to treat it
Gynecomastia is common and usually benign, though often distressing. Causes are many.
- Fecal-based DNA assays: A new, noninvasive approach to colorectal cancer screening
Most Americans forgo any kind of colorectal cancer screening, although it it is proven to save lives. Fecal-based DNA testing may be an alternative for those who otherwise would not be screened.
