Ear Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes - American Family Physician
Jan 1, 2018 - Otalgia (ear pain) is a common presentation in the primary care setting with many diverse causes. Pain that originates from the ear is called primary otalgia, and the most common causes are otitis media and otitis externa. Examination of the ear usually reveals abnormal findings in ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0101/p20.html
Depression: Screening and Diagnosis - American Family Physician
Oct 15, 2018 - Depression affects an estimated 8% of persons in the United States and accounts for more than $210 billion in health care costs annually. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and American Academy of Family Physicians recommend screening for depression in the general adult ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/1015/p508.html
Hemolytic Anemia: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis - American Family Physician
Sep 15, 2018 - Hemolytic anemia is defined by the premature destruction of red blood cells, and can be chronic or life-threatening. It should be part of the differential diagnosis for any normocytic or macrocytic anemia. Hemolysis may occur intravascularly, extravascularly in the reticuloendothelial ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0915/p354.html
Well-Child Visits for Infants and Young Children - American Family Physician
Sep 15, 2018 - The well-child visit allows for comprehensive assessment of a child and the opportunity for further evaluation if abnormalities are detected. A complete history during the well-child visit includes information about birth history; prior screenings; diet; sleep; dental care; and medical,...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0915/p347.html
Urine Drug Tests: Ordering and Interpreting Results - American Family Physician
Jan 1, 2019 - Urine drug testing is an essential component of monitoring patients who are receiving long-term opioid therapy, and it has been suggested for patients receiving long-term benzodiazepine or stimulant therapy. Family physicians should be familiar with the characteristics and capabilities ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0101/p33.html
Chronic Kidney Disease: Detection and Evaluation - American Family Physician
Dec 15, 2017 - Chronic kidney disease affects 47 million people in the United States and is associated with significant health care costs, morbidity, and mortality. Because this disease can silently progress to advanced stages, early detection is critical for initiating timely interventions. Multiple ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/1215/p776.html
Evaluating Medical Decision-Making Capacity in Practice - American Family Physician
Jul 1, 2018 - Medical decision-making capacity is the ability of a patient to understand the benefits and risks of, and the alternatives to, a proposed treatment or intervention (including no treatment). Capacity is the basis of informed consent. Patients have medical decision-making capacity if they...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0701/p40.html
Knee Pain in Adults and Adolescents: The Initial Evaluation - American Family Physician
Nov 1, 2018 - Knee pain affects approximately 25% of adults, and its prevalence has increased almost 65% over the past 20 years, accounting for nearly 4 million primary care visits annually. Initial evaluation should emphasize excluding urgent causes while considering the need for referral. Key ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/1101/p576.html
Amenorrhea: A Systematic Approach to Diagnosis and Management - American Family Physician
Jul 1, 2019 - Menstrual patterns can be an indicator of overall health and self-perception of well-being. Primary amenorrhea, defined as the lifelong absence of menses, requires evaluation if menarche has not occurred by 15 years of age or three years post-thelarche. Secondary amenorrhea is ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0701/p39.html
First Trimester Bleeding: Evaluation and Management - American Family Physician
Feb 1, 2019 - Approximately one-fourth of pregnant women will experience bleeding in the first trimester. The differential diagnosis includes threatened abortion, early pregnancy loss, and ectopic pregnancy. Pain and heavy bleeding are associated with an increased risk of early pregnancy loss. ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0201/p166.html
Anemia in Older Adults - American Family Physician
Oct 1, 2018 - Anemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in older adults. Diagnostic cutoff values for defining anemia vary with age, sex, and possibly race. Anemia is often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on laboratory testing. Patients may present with symptoms related to ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/1001/p437.html
The Adult Well-Male Examination - American Family Physician
Dec 15, 2018 - The adult well-male examination should provide evidence-based guidance toward the promotion of optimal health and well-being. The medical history should focus on tobacco and alcohol use, risk of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections, and diet and ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/1215/p729.html
Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children - American Family Physician
Jun 15, 2018 - Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children is defined as at least three episodes of pain that occur over at least three months and affect the child’s ability to perform normal activities. RAP is most often considered functional (nonorganic) abdominal pain, but an organic cause is found ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0615/p785.html
Geriatric Assessment: An Office-Based Approach - American Family Physician
Jun 15, 2018 - Family physicians should be proficient in geriatric assessment because, as society ages, older adults will constitute an increasing proportion of patients. Geriatric assessment evaluates medical, social, and environmental factors that influence overall well-being, and addresses ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0615/p776.html
Evaluation of Suspected Dementia - American Family Physician
Mar 15, 2018 - Dementia is a significant and costly health condition that affects 5 million adults and is the fifth leading cause of death among Americans older than 65 years. The prevalence of dementia will likely increase in the future because the number of Americans older than 65 years is expected ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0315/p398.html
Colorectal Cancer Screening and Surveillance in Individuals at Increased Risk - ...
Jan 15, 2018 - Individuals at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer include those with a personal or family history of advanced adenomas or colorectal cancer, a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, or genetic polyposis syndromes. In general, these persons should undergo more ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0115/p111.html
Hearing Loss in Adults: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment - American Family Physician
Jul 15, 2019 - More than 30 million U.S. adults have hearing loss. This condition is underrecognized, and hearing aids and other hearing enhancement technologies are underused. Hearing loss is categorized as conductive, sensorineural, or mixed. Age-related sensorineural hearing loss (i.e., ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0715/p98.html
Neuropsychological Evaluations in Adults - American Family Physician
Jan 15, 2019 - Neuropsychologists provide detailed assessments of cognitive and emotional functioning that often cannot be obtained through other diagnostic means. They use standardized assessment tools and integrate the findings with other data to determine whether cognitive decline has occurred, to ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0115/p101.html
Vitamin D Screening and Supplementation in Community-Dwelling Adults: Common Questions ...
Feb 15, 2018 - Measurement of vitamin D levels and supplementation with oral vitamin D have become commonplace, although clinical trials have not demonstrated health benefits. The usefulness of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to assess adequate exposure to vitamin D is hampered by variations in ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0215/p254.html
Cervical Cancer Screening - American Family Physician
Apr 1, 2018 - Screening in women has decreased the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. Precancerous cervical lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasias) and cervical carcinomas are strongly associated with sexually-transmitted high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which causes ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0401/p441.html
Colorectal Cancer Screening and Prevention - American Family Physician
May 15, 2018 - Colorectal cancer is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Most colorectal cancers arise from preexisting adenomatous or serrated polyps. The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer can be reduced with screening of average-risk adults 50 to 75 years of ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0515/p658.html
Health Maintenance in School-Aged Children: Part I. History, Physical Examination, ...
Aug 15, 2019 - The goals of the health maintenance visit in school-aged children (five to 12 years) are promoting health, detecting disease, and counseling to prevent injury and future health problems. During the visit, the physician should address patient and parent/caregiver concerns and ask about ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0815/p213.html
Tremor: Sorting Through the Differential Diagnosis - American Family Physician
Feb 1, 2018 - Tremor is an involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory movement of a body part. It is the most common movement disorder encountered in primary care. The diagnosis of tremor is based on clinical information obtained from the history and physical examination. The most common tremors in patients ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0201/p180.html
Rheumatologic Tests: A Primer for Family Physicians - American Family Physician
Aug 1, 2018 - Patients with a suspected connective tissue disorder should undergo serologic testing to confirm the diagnosis and, in some cases, to monitor disease activity and predict flares. Patients with suspected systemic lupus erythematosus should be tested for antinuclear antibodies. However, ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0801/p164.html
Primary Care for Persons Who Inject Drugs - American Family Physician
Jan 15, 2019 - More than 750,000 persons in the United States inject opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, or ketamine, and that number is increasing because of the current opioid epidemic. Persons who inject drugs (PWID) are at higher risk of infectious and noninfectious skin, pulmonary, cardiac, ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0115/p109.html