Internal Medicine Alert – January 15, 2005
January 15, 2005
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Protecting the Oldest of Old Bones
Use of risedronate in women 80 years and older reduced the incidence of vertebral fractures and was well tolerated. -
Anticoagulating the Elderly With Atrial Fib: How Low Should You Go?
Maintaining INRs (International normalized ratios) between 2 and 3 is safer than INRs below 2, as suggested by some guidelines. -
Fecal DNA vs Fecal Occult Blood For Colorectal Cancer Screening in an Average Risk Population
Most neoplastic lesions are not detected either by Hemoccult screening or by multitarget analysis of fecal DNA. Nevertheless, the fecal DNA analysis was significantly more efficient than Hemoccult testing. -
Atenolol For Hypertension
Atenolol is unsuitable as a first-line drug in hypertension. -
Pharmacology Update: Natalizumab Injection (Tysabri)
A new agent has received expedited FDA approval for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. -
Clinical Briefs
There is little disagreement about the merit of treating frank hypothyroidism. Because of conflicting data, much less consensus exists about whether subclinical hypothyroidism (ie, elevated TSH levels with normal T4) should be treated. Since thyroid disorders increase with age, a population of advanced years is an appropriate group in which to evaluate this issue further. -
ECG Review: Are P Waves "Married"?
The rhythm strip shown in the figure was obtained from an elderly woman with a history of cardiomyopathy. She has a known history of bundle branch block (ie, RBBB). How would you interpret the rhythm? -
Pharmacology Watch - Hypertension: Therapy vs Calcium Channel Antagonists
Pharmacotherapy of hypertension has been much in the news in the last 2 months. Standard therapies such as atenolol have been challenged, while calcium channel antagonists may be making a comeback.