www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 615 Epidemiology Based on the makeup of most studies published to date, oral burning appears to be most prevalent in postmenopausal women. It has been reported in 10 to 40 percent of women presenting for treatment of menopausal symptoms. These percentages are in contrast to the much lower prevalence rates for oral burning in epidemiologic studies (0.7 ...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 979 manifestations (Table 1). It is a common cause of macrocytic (megaloblastic) anemia and, in advanced cases, pancytopenia. Neurologic sequelae from vitamin B12 deficiency include paresthesias, peripheral neuropathy, and demyelination of the corticospinal tract and dorsal columns (subacute combined systems V itamin B12 (cobalamin) plays an important ...

PURPOSE assessing patient satisfaction after endoscopy with a standardized survey is recommended by gastrointestinal professional societies. The purpose of this study was to assess both patient satisfaction with colonoscopy performed by family physicians and physicians' technical competence in colonoscopy. METHODS modified Group Health Association of America 9 surveys were sent to all 230 pat...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 1379 in developing humans: the embryonic, Gower-I, Gower-II, Portland, fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and normal adult hemoglobin (HbA and HbA2). HbF is the primary hemoglobin found in the fetus. It has a higher affinity for oxygen than adult hemoglobin, thus increasing the efficiency of oxygen transfer to the fetus. The relative quantities of HbF rapidly decr...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 279 asymmetric joint cartilage loss, subchondral sclerosis (increased bone density), marginal osteophytes and subchondral cysts is the same in younger and older adults. Primary osteoarthritis is the most common form and is usually seen in weight-bearing joints that have undergone abnormal stresses (e.g., from obesity or overuse). The precise etiology o...

Although there is no consensus over a classification system for status epilepticus, classification is necessary for appropriate management of the condition because effective management depends on the type of status epilepticus. In general, the various systems characterize status epilepticus according to where the seizures arise—from a localized region of the cortex (partial onset) or from both ...

of-recommendation labels. A ppendicitis remains the most common acute surgical condition of the abdomen. In 1997, more than 260,000 new cases occurred in the United States. The overall lifetime occurrence is approximately 12 percent in men and 25 percent in women.1-3 Because abdominal pain is a common presenting complaint in the outpatient setting, family physicians serve an important role in t...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 1159 malities, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes, that are associated with insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia. However, a cause-and-effect relationship between insulin resistance, these diseases and the mechanisms through which insulin resistance influences their development has yet to be conclusively d...

OBJECTIVE To test the association of family history of diabetes with the adoption of diabetes risk-reducing behaviors and whether this association is strengthened by physician advice or commonly known factors associated with diabetes risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We used cross-sectional data from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine the effect...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study compared the training programs and career paths of family medicine graduates in the National Research Service Award (NRSA) Program for Research in Primary Medical Care with general internal medicine and general pediatric peers. METHODS We mailed a survey to NRSA fellows graduating from 23 programs nationally between 1988-1997. Personal characteristics, fel...