The diagnosis and treatment of common dermatologic problems is a critical area of skill and knowledge for primary care physicians. According to the US Department of 1 Health and Human Services, patients present to their physicians a skin rash as their chief concern for nearly 12 million office visits each year. In 73% of these office visits, patients see their internist, family physician, or pediatrician. In this respect, astonishingly, primary care clinicians see far more skin disease in their offices than dermatologists. Dermatology Skills for Primary Care: An Illustrated Guide advances the...

A panel of top experts in perinatal psychiatry reviews the many recent studies on the use of psychiatric medications in pregnancy and postpartum and assesses their impact on the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant/postpartum women. The authors focus on each of the major psychiatric illnesses, including depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse, eating disorders, and mental illness, as well as on the potential impact of these illnesses on infants and children. Interpreting conflicting and inconclusive clinical findings, they spell out the lesser-known risks...

Seizures are frightening events. They frighten the patients who experience them; they frighten those who witness them; they also frighten many physicians who have to deal with them. Most individuals with seizures present to family physicians or to emergency room physicians. However, despite the fact that seizures are among the most common neurological conditions, most general practitioners, family practice specialists, and intemists do not see large numbers of patients with seizures. Given the apoplectic appearance of generalized tonic clonic convulsions, it is not difficult to understand why...

Authoritative clinicians present up-to-date, concise, and practical advice on the diagnosis and treatment of the most common sleep disorders encountered in general practice. They not only review such problems as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and narcolepsy, but they also discuss such important topics as pediatric sleep disorders, the pharmacology of sleep medicines, diagnostic testing and technology, and the use of bright light therapy in sleep disorders and depression. Throughout, the emphasis is on obtaining an appropriate patient history and carefully...

In Cancer Screening: A Practical Guide for Physicians, a panel of highly experienced clinicians and researchers from around the world present their up-to-date screening techniques for a wide variety of cancers. The techniques range from screening for breast, gynecological, and gastrointestinal cancers, to testing for urogenital, dermatological, and respiratory cancers. In addition to providing the busy practitioner with quick access to guidelines for particular cancers, the epidemiology and biology of the various cancers, as well as the sensitivity and specificity of the methods, are...

The field of movement disorders is relatively broad, encompassing disorders of increased movement, such as tremors, dystonia, and tics, to disorders characterized by a paucity of movement, such as Parkinson's disease. Our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and our treatment options are expanding at a rapid pace. This expansion ranges from the medical and surgical advances in treating Parkinson's disease to the flood of genetic abnormalities that have now been found to cause various movement disorders. Although many patients are seen by the movement disorders specialist in neurology...

A concise summary of the most important medical and scientific topics concerning cardiovascular medicine in the primary care environment. Writing in an easy-to-read format-background, diagnosis, and disease management-and emphasizing practical techniques of evaluation and treatment, the authors explain the basic mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease states and the treatment strategies that arise from them. Topics range from acute coronary syndromes, arrhythmias, and hyperlipidemia, to hypertension, pericardial diseases, valvular disease, and stable angina. Cardiology in Family...

LA WRENCE G. RAISZ, MD Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Connecticut Health Center. Farmington. CT The rapid transfer of new knowledge concerning the pathogenesis, diagnosis, preven- tion, and treatment of disease into clinical practice has always been a major challenge in medicine. This challenge is particularly difficult to meet in osteoporosis, not only because has been so much new knowledge generated in recent years, but also because this there disorder has not caught the attention of many practicing physicians. The goal of this volume is to help primary care...

Those who do not feel pain seldom think that it is felt. SAMUEL JoHNSON, The Rambler, no. 48 (September 1, 1750) Who among us has not experienced the suffering of a patient with chronic disease, who in addition to the vicissitudes of fatigue, anxiety, and frustration, must also deal with the suffering of pain? Who among us has not considered, and then reconsidered, whether a patient's complaints are worthy of a narcotic and thence worried about the social and legal implications of chronic use? Who among us has not refused pain medications to our patients for fear that use was turning into...

A concise, practical guide to the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease. Authoritative and practical, this important new book not only spells out the advantages and limitations of the latest diagnostic tests, but also provides numerous algorithms for evaluating patients and treating the liver problems commonly encountered by primary care physicians. Here, too, the reader will find described the nuances of serological tests for the detection of viral infections and how best to use invasive and noninvasive radiological tests in specific circumstances. Common complications are fully discussed...