Diverticular disease is one of the most prevalent medical conditions in the United States. Symptomatic diverticular disease comprises a spectrum ranging from mildly symptomatic, with a profile similar to irritable bowel syndrome, to acute bouts of diverticulitis with complications such as abscess or perforation.
Chronic pain is a significant public health problem in the United States that is both common and costly. A significant barrier to the optimal diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain is a lack of knowledge regarding the underlying causes of chronic pain and the optimal use of analgesic compounds. This activity uses an interactive format to update clinicians on the pathophysiology of chronic pain and the mechanisms of action of common classes of analgesic therapies.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, primarily due to the effects of heart disease and stroke. The goal of this activity is to educate primary care clinicians on the evidence-based treatment of heart failure and provide guidance for commonly encountered clinical dilemmas.
As members of the Baby Boomer generation enter their 60s, it is reasonable to anticipate that clinicians will face an increase in the number of older patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Older patients with IBD can be a particular challenge for the practicing clinician, because they often present such issues as extensive differential diagnoses, comorbidities, polypharmacy, and poor patient adherence.
Neurogenic overactive bladder (OAB) is a chronic and distressing medical condition that has profound physical, emotional, and financial ramifications for patients and is commonly seen in patients with neurologic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, cerebral vascular accident, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes mellitus.
Identify lifestyle changes that a person who has high titers of antinuclear antibodies but no lupus-specific symptoms should make.
The heterogeneous nature of cancer pain can present challenges for the oncologist as well as for primary care providers, who often care for patients who are in remission but still have lingering cancer or cancer treatment related pain. This activity uses an online, case-based approach to discuss strategies for the optimal management of cancer pain for both the oncologist and primary care clinician.
In older patients with multiple comorbidities, high risk for stroke, and risk factors for bleeding, nonadherence to anticoagulation therapy is particularly important. With warfarin, INR values may signal poor adherence. With the newer anticoagulation options, assessing adherence may be difficult because of the inability to precisely assess their level of anticoagulation.
A 53-year-old man with type 2 diabetes presents to his internist with erectile dysfunction, increased appetite, and blurry vision. At his last visit 6 months ago, his LDL-C was borderline high.
This course discusses establishing a diagnosis and matching appropriate procedure to diagnosis. Curative vs palliative and acute vs chronic back pain are described and delineated.
This is part II of a three-part series of case-based articles on optimal, evidence-based approaches to the management of gout, an inflammatory arthritis that over the past two decades has doubled in prevalence in the United States. Here, management approaches are outlined for a patient with stage 3 chronic kidney disease and hypertension. He presents with an acute gout flare—an occurrence that is becoming more frequent.
This course describes various types of primary headache disorders and differentiates between migraine headache and other kinds of headache disorders. The presentation details diagnosis, acute treatment, and prophylactic measures that can reduce pain in patients who experience migraine headaches.
Major depression is a highly debilitating illnesses associated with significant morbidity, impairments in occupational and social functioning and increased risk of suicide. Patients typically have some degree of symptomatic response to treatment, but often suffer from persisting residual symptoms that cause significant functional impairment, decreased quality of life, and increased risk of relapse.
Extensive evidence demonstrates the analgesic efficacy of adjuvants, anti-inflammatories, and simple analgesics. The use of these classes of medications for chronic pain using rational polypharmacy may allow sparing of the use of opiods, but new studies question the safety of certain nonopiods. Therefore, knowledge of the pharmacology of nonpiods is important to ensure that analgesic treatment decisions are based on the best available information.
Clinicians face many challenges when diagnosing and managing patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
