Family Practice News articles from February 2009

Family Practice News archives from February 2009

Persistent STD rates are a 'major area of concern': chlamydia poses opportunity for impact.(NEWS)
February 1, 2009... The rates of three major sexually transmitted diseases continued to follow a nearly decade-long climb that has disproportionately affected minorities and women, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

Periodically screen heart patients for depression.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
February 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Persistent comorbid anxiety and depression are common in patients with coronary heart disease, and they carry a greater mortality risk than either mood disturbance alone, according to a study in 2,325 patients. "It's...

Many elective angiographies are deemed unnecessary, data show.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
February 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly two-thirds of 400,000 patients who underwent elective diagnostic coronary angiography recently at 601 U.S. hospitals turned out not to have obstructive coronary artery disease. This is not an efficient use of health...

Intensive glucose control may be overrated.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Clinical report)
February 1, 2009... Intensive glucose control isn't any more effective than standard therapy at reducing the rates of major cardiovascular events, death, or microvascular disease in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, a large prospective study has...

Pediatric vaccines put squeeze on many practices.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Survey)
February 1, 2009... Financial strain associated with vaccine costs and reimbursement levels is increasingly reported by physicians in private practice who provide vaccinations to children and adolescents, a study shows. However, in a related study, cost and...

Age-related ailments flag depression.(MENTAL HEALTH)
February 1, 2009... NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. -- Weight loss, verbally abusive behavior, and moderate pain were all significant predictors of a new diagnosis of depression among established nursing home residents in a longitudinal analysis. Studies have shown that...

Antidepressants rated for major depression.(MENTAL HEALTH)
February 1, 2009... Escitalopram and sertraline were the most effective of a dozen secondgeneration antidepressants for treating major depression in adults, results of a review of randomized controlled trials that included more than 25,000 patients show. ...

Obese dyslipidemic children have 'vascular age' of adults.(OBESITY)
February 1, 2009... NEW ORLEANS -- The arteries of obese and dyslipidemic children resemble those of middle-aged adults, possibly heralding the early onset of cardiovascular disease, according to a study presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American...

FDA approves milnacipran for fibromyalgia.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
February 1, 2009... Milnacipran, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine dual reuptake inhibitor, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the management of fibromyalgia in adults, the third drug approved for this indication. Approval was...

Health care spending was 16.2% of 2007 GDP.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
February 1, 2009... WASHINGTON -- Growth in U.S. health care spending slowed in 2007 to 6.1%, the lowest annual growth rate since 1998. But at $2.2 trillion, or $7,421 per person, health care spending still represented 16.2% of the nation's overall gross...

R.I. Medicaid overhaul okayed.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
February 1, 2009... Rhode Island Coy. Donald Carcieri and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have reached agreement on a Medicaid reform package for the state that would emphasize home- and community-based long-term care settings over nursing home...

FP launches patient advocacy enterprise.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(family physician)
February 15, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The "Primary care blues" may be feeding the entrepreneurial bug, if not in you, then in your colleagues. Here, in the first of an occasional series, a family physician shares her story of how she became and...

Analgesics with propoxyphene may head off market; FDA panel discouraged chronic use.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)(Food and Drug Administration)
February 15, 2009... GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- Members of two federal advisory panels narrowly voted to recommend that Darvocet and other products containing the opioid analgesic propoxyphene should no longer be marketed for the treatment of mild to moderate pain. ...

SCHIP gets reauthorized; nearly 11 million covered.(NEWS)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
February 15, 2009... Nearly 11 million low-income children will receive health coverage under the reauthorization and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which was recently signed into law by President Barack Obama. The legislation...

The nation's health care dollar: where it went in 2007.(VITAL SIGNS)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... The Nation's Health Care Dollar: Where It Went in 2007 Hospitals 31% Physicians and clinics 21% Prescription drugs 10% Administration 7% Nursing homes 6% Other 25% ...

Alert issued on using topical anesthetic during tests.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
February 15, 2009... The use of topical lidocaine products to mitigate pain during mammograms and other medical tests has the potential to cause life-threatening events, according to a public health advisory issued by the Food and Drug Administration last month....

Topical gets approved for psoriasis.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
February 15, 2009... SINT MAARTEN, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES -- Physicians can offer their psoriasis patients a new option for topical treatment following Food and Drug Administration approval of a second vitamin D ointment for plaque psoriasis. Dr. Leon H. Kircik...

Infant suffocation deaths rise, SIDS drops.(NEWS)(sudden infant death syndrome)
February 15, 2009... Infant deaths caused by accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed quadrupled between 1984 and 2004, according to a review of United States infant mortality data. Previous studies of infant deaths have not focused on deaths caused by...

Time for hard choices.(health care reform)(Editorial)
February 15, 2009... When it comes to health care reform, one thing no one argues about is that costs will need to be cut. If President Barack Obama and Congress want to insure more people, the money will have to be spent more efficiently. Unfortunately,...

This flu season's curveballs.(EXPERT COMMENTARY)
February 15, 2009... This year's influenza season, while mild so far, comes with a few of Mother Nature's curveballs that will impact our approach to prevention and treatment. Normally, peak influenza activity hits by mid-January, and as of mid-January this...

Correction.(OPINION)(Correction notice)
February 15, 2009... The article "Low-Dose Colchicine Relieves Gout With Fewer Side Effects" (FAMILY PRACTICE NEWS, January, 1 2009, p. 24) contains an error. The total low dose of colchicine given 74 patients was 1.8 mg, rather than 4.8 mg. We regret the error.

FDA cardiology drugs panel backs prasugrel.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)
February 15, 2009... SILVER SPRING, MD. -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend that the antiplatelet drug prasugrel be approved for treating patients with acute coronary syndrome, who present with unstable angina,...

Treadmill walking offers means to improve PAD.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(peripheral arterial disease)
February 15, 2009... Treadmill exercise three times a week improved walking endurance, lower extremity blood flow, and quality of life in patients with peripheral arterial disease, according to findings from a randomized trial. The intervention increased...

AAA screening advised for some over 59.(CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE)(abdominal aortic aneurysm)
February 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- One of every nine men over age 59 years with a diagnosis of stroke or transient ischemic attack had an abdominal aortic aneurysm in a prospective study of 499 patients. Among all patients admitted for stroke or TIA, the...

Chemo offers no reason to skip the flu shot.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO -- Most patients with colorectal cancer have an immune response to the flu vaccine regardless of whether they are receiving chemotherapy and which drug regimen is used, according to the first study to look at the issue...

Study challenges advice on first febrile seizure.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
February 15, 2009... New data indicating that a first simple febrile seizure in infants and young children rarely signals bacterial meningitis suggest the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation of lumbar puncture in this population should be reconsidered,...

HHS sets infection-control goals for hospitals.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Department of Health and Human Services)
February 15, 2009... Federal officials are seeking significant reductions in some of the most common health care-associated infections over the next 5 years. In an "action plan" issued in January, Department of Health and Human Services officials outlined goals...

Pediatric MRSA infections soar.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
February 15, 2009... The number of pediatric head-and-neck infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus shot up at an "alarming" rate across the United States between 2001 and 2006. Sixty percent of these methicillin-resistant S. aureus...

Bisphosphonates tied to cancer, osteonecrosis.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... Use of oral bisphosphonate drugs is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer, according to reports in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Multiple agents in the class are associated with the esophageal cancer warning, which...

Vitamin D deficiency affects type 1 youth.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... Youth with type 1 diabetes are at significant risk for vitamin D deficiency, based on results of a study of 128 children and adolescents. Chronic vitamin D deficiency in childhood contributes to bone deformity and reduced bone mass, which...

Older black women do have osteoporosis.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... RIO GRANDE, P.R. -- Approximately one in four elderly black women have osteoporosis, findings from a small study suggest. Physicians should not ignore the possibility of osteoporosis in their older black female patients, although these...

Diabetics wary of harm from treatment.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... Concern about harm from antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive medications is associated with their underuse among patients with diabetes, even after controlling for economic factors. The finding, from a survey of 803 adults with diabetes...

Hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes.(CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS)
February 15, 2009... The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes recently released a consensus statement on the medical management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes (Diabetes Care 2009;32:193-203). Based on both...

Treating mild gestational diabetes cuts risks.(METABOLIC DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... SAN DIEGO -- Treatment of mild gestational diabetes did not reduce the frequency of several commonly reported morbidities associated with diabetic pregnancy, results from a large multicenter randomized trial demonstrated. However,...

Acupuncture improves symptoms of PTSD.(MENTAL HEALTH)(post-traumatic stress disorder)
February 15, 2009... CHICAGO -- Brief exposure to acupuncture significantly improved the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder when this treatment was compared with usual care, in a randomized controlled trial in 55 veterans. Traditional Chinese medicine...

Depression treatment lacks intensity for some.(MENTAL HEALTH)
February 15, 2009... RIO GRANDE, P.R. -- Primary care physicians don't appear to treat depression any more aggressively in patients who have medical comorbidities, compared with other patients, despite mounting evidence showing that depression may worsen medical...

PTSD tied to metabolic issues in vets.(MENTAL HEALTH)(post-traumatic stress disorder)
February 15, 2009... Posttraumatic stress disorder appears to have a significant relationship with the development of metabolic syndrome, Pia S. Heppner, Ph.D., and her colleagues have reported. Their observational study of 253 male and female veterans found...

Two-minute screen identifies psoriatic arthritis.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... SINT MAARTEN, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES -- Primary care physicians can use a "2-minute drill" that combines questions and a physical exam to screen psoriasis patients for psoriatic arthritis. Routinely ask patients with psoriasis about...

Arthroscopy adds little to acute swollen knee evaluations.(MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS)(European League Against Rheumatism, European Federation of National Associations of Orthopedics and Traumatology)
February 15, 2009... Two European medical societies have collaborated on the first treatment guidelines for acute knee swelling that incorporate both rheumatology and orthopedic surgery perspectives. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the...

Coordinating care for breast cancer pays off.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
February 15, 2009... Breast cancer survivors are more likely to receive recommended care when they see both an oncology specialist and a primary care physician, data from a study of trends in survivor care between 1998 and 2002 in nearly 24,000 survivors suggest....

Pediatric cancer survivors lack mammography.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
February 15, 2009... Most young women who received chest radiation for childhood cancer are not being appropriately screened for breast cancer, despite their high risk. The primary barrier to screening is not a lack of medical contact; rather, it is that their...

Physical health plays into breast cancer survival.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... SAN ANTONIO -- Breast cancer survivors with poor physical health, particularly those with limited physical activity, have a worse prognosis than those with adequate physical health, based on the results of a study of almost 3,000 survivors...

Hay fever in kids responds to immunotherapy.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
February 15, 2009... The 300-index of reactivity dose of 5-grass-pollen sublingual immunotherapy tablets resulted in a significant improvement in the rhinoconjunctivitis total symptom score in children and adolescents with pollen-related allergic rhinitis, results...

Exercise-induced SOB in kids not always asthma.(PULMONARY MEDICINE)
February 15, 2009... BOSTON -- Although asthma is a common cause of exercise-induced shortness of breath in children and adolescents, "it is not the only cause," said pediatric pulmonologist Christina Scirica. "Failing to consider other possibilities can lead to...

Lifestyle trumps bariatric surgery in long term.(OBESITY)
February 15, 2009... Bariatric surgery isn't the only way for obese patients to lose weight and keep it off. A new observational study has found that patients can lose as much weight through intensive behavioral efforts as they can through surgical methods....

Inflammatory bowel disease challenges persist.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Despite greater understanding of genetic influences and phenotypic manifestations and the availability of multiple immunomodulatory medications, inflammatory bowel disease continues to pose significant clinical...

Seven-item survey measures gluten-free diet adherence.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... ORLANDO -- A short survey that assesses compliance with a gluten-free diet among adults with celiac disease has been validated. Scores on the Celiac Dietary Adherence Test corresponded better with an independent dietician's assessment of...

Score distinguishes appendicitis in children.(DIGESTIVE DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... PALM BEACH, FLA. -- A scoring system improved the accuracy of preoperatively differentiating ruptured and acute appendicitis in a study of 248 children. Without the scoring system, surgeons preoperatively diagnosed ruptured appendicitis...

Risk from topical tretinoin use still debatable.(SKIN DISORDERS)(Veterans Affairs Topical Tretinoin Chemoprevention)
February 15, 2009... A recently reported association between topical tretinoin and increased mortality is not causal and most likely is due to chance, according to a report. The interim finding of an unexpected rise in lung cancer incidence and all-cause...

Online skin term dictionary may facilitate payment.(SKIN DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... The American Academy of Dermatology is launching an online dictionary of common terms that it hopes will aid dermatologists, primary care physicians, and other practitioners in communicating, securing reimbursement, and reporting adverse...

Jury out on screening for skin cancer in primary care setting.(SKIN DISORDERS)
February 15, 2009... The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force still cannot recommend for or against whole-body skin examination by a primary care physician or by patient self-examination for the early detection of cutaneous melanoma, basal cell cancer, or squamous...

Experts split on oversight of diagnostic tests.(CLINICAL ROUNDS)
February 15, 2009... Whether or not the Food and Drug Administration falls short in regulating diagnostic tests for cancer and other diseases depends on whom you ask. Talk to a pathologist who performs diagnostic tests, and you may hear that everything is...

HHS finalizes plans for transition to ICD-10.(PRACTICE TRENDS)(Health and Human Services, International Classification of Disease 10th edition)
February 15, 2009... In less than 5 years, physicians and other health care providers will be required to begin using a new system of code sets to report health care diagnoses and procedures. Under a final rule published in the Federal Register last month, the...

School embraces medical home.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... A family practice residency program at the University of Kansas, Wichita, will establish a patient-centered medical home model of care, making it one of the first residency programs in the nation to offer training in a medical home environment,...

FDA launches safety program.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration launched a pilot program aimed at ensuring the safety of drugs produced outside the United States. The agency said it plans to select 100 companies that volunteer to participate in the Secure Supply Chain pilot...

CMS IDs protected drug classes.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tried to guarantee that Medicare beneficiaries with certain conditions--including HIV infection, some cancers, and mental illness--may confidently enroll in Medicare Part D prescription plans. In...

Mixed grades on Tobacco Control.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
February 15, 2009... In 23 states, smoking in workplaces and public spaces has been banned, but the pace of adoption of those life-saving prohibitions has slowed, according to the American Lung Association's annual State of Tobacco Control report. Only two states...

Jump in Singulair psych reports.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(montelukast)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... Surging reports of aggressive and suicidal behavior associated with the asthma drug Singulair (montelukast) contributed to another high number of serious adverse events reported to the FDA in the second quarter of 2008, according to the...

Group pushes swipable cards.(POLICY & PRACTICE)(Medical Group Management Association)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... The Medical Group Management Association has launched an effort to persuade providers and health insurers to adopt standardized, machine-readable insurance cards by next January. The initiative, dubbed Project SwipeIT, would save an estimated...

The doctor will laugh with you now.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)(Dr. Christopher J. Gallagher and Dr. Brad Nieder's humor)
February 15, 2009... When Dr. Christopher J. Gallagher was asked to emcee a comedy event at Improv Miami in Coconut Grove, Fla., in 2005, he jumped at the chance. The anesthesiologist said that he tries to incorporate humor in the books that he writes and in his...

Online tool may help revive family history.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
February 15, 2009... A revised high-tech tool from the Department of Health and Human Services may make filling out a pre-exam checklist in the doctor's office obsolete, if doctors and patients will use it. "We know that a large percentage of our risk for...

Protect your data!(THE OFFICE)
February 15, 2009... All too often, our office computers are disasters waiting to happen. We store huge amounts of important information on them and risk losing it all by neglecting to back up the data. No amount of casualty insurance will recoup the loss of the...

Cancer survivors forgo care because of cost.(PRACTICE TRENDS)
February 15, 2009... Slightly more than 2 million cancer survivors in the United States forego necessary medical care because of cost concerns, and Hispanics and African Americans are twice as likely to do so, new research suggests. Using the annual National...

Brits queued, yanks rude.(INDICATIONS)(poem about the Titanic)(Poem)
February 15, 2009... Since February is "National write a poem about the Titanic month," here's a poem about the Titanic: The story begins with the Titanic The Brits were polite and didn't panic Yanks lacked a stiff upper lip And didn't go down...

Pride goeth before the flab.(INDICATIONS)(unhealthy states)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... What do Huntington, W.Va.; Louisiana; and England all have in common? Good press and proud residents. The Associated Press declared Huntington the "fattest and unhealthiest city" in America. A report from the United Health Foundation, the...

Mystery meat.(INDICATIONS)(swallow syncope)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... Obesity might be less of a problem for the English if more of their hearts stopped beating when they ate a sandwich. One woman presented to University Hospital Birmingham (England) complaining of episodes of "feeling lightheaded, occasionally...

A presidential offer.(INDICATIONS)(Rajesh Khanna provides free LASIK surgery in celebration of the presidential inauguration)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... Did you get your free LASIK surgery last month? Dr. Rajesh Khanna, an eye surgeon in Valencia, Westlake Village, Costa Mesa, Beverly Hills, and Corona, Calif., decided to celebrate the recent presidential inauguration by providing free LASIK...

Science fiction.(INDICATIONS)(cello scrotum)(Brief article)
February 15, 2009... If you've been thinking about starting the next great medical hoax, you're going to have to do it without the help of cello scrotum. Almost 35 years after they invented the fictitious musical malady and got it published (BMJ 1974;2:335) as a...