Browse Internal Medicine Alert Articles by Topic

Utility of the New Cholesterol Guidelines

The risk:benefit ratio is much better for moderate- than high-intensity statins.

Risk of NSAID Use in Patients Receiving Antithrombotic Therapy After Myocardial Infarction

The use of NSAIDs was associated with increased risk of bleeding and excess thrombotic events, even after short-term treatment.

Wide Tachycardia in a Patient with Chest Pain

The 12-lead ECG and accompanying long lead II rhythm strip in the Figure was obtained from a 70-year-old woman with chest pain. She was hemodynamically stable at the time this ECG was recorded. What is the rhythm?

Clinical Briefs

Accumulation of briefs: Consequences of NSAID Use in Patients Receiving Post-MI Antithrombotic Prophylaxis, Psoriasis Is Associated with Insulin Resistance, and Difficult Questions About Testosterone and Mortality

Steroids for Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia: More Evidence or More Uncertainty?

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of mortality from infection in industrialized countries, and treatment failure occurs in 10-20% of cases despite appropriate antibiotic therapy. Thus, effective treatment strategies that reduce the burden of CAP would have a major impact on public health. Several previous studies that investigated the role of corticosteroids in CAP produced mixed results. Torres and colleagues hypothesized that corticosteroids modulate the immune response in severe CAP, thereby decreasing treatment failure.

Effects of Lifestyle Modifications on the Coronary and Carotid Atherosclerotic Burden

A look at how lifestyle changes, including dietary modifications and regular exercise, impact therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Diet Sodas: Are They Really Diet?

Over the past several decades, concerns about increased sugar consumption has led some experts to recommend the use of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs).¹

Clinical Briefs

Clinical Briefs on topics such as: Chronobiology and Insulin Glargine, Dual Add-on Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes When Metformin is Not Enough, and Might Long-term Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Be Better? Not

Are Atrial Premature Complexes Benign?

Atrial premature complexes (APCs) are commonly observed on routine ECGs and believed to be harbingers of atrial fibrillation, especially in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the long-term prognosis of APCs in the general population. Thus, these investigators from Japan analyzed the database of a large community-based cohort from 1993 to 2008 to determine the risks of APCs seen on the subjects’ baseline ECGs.

Statins After an MI: Does it Happen?

Following a hospitalization for coronary heart disease (CHD) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS), randomized trials demonstrate that high-intensity atorvastatin is more effective than either placebo or low- to moderate-intensity therapy with either pravastatin or atorvastatin.^1-3 Based on this evidence, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association guidelines recommend high-intensity therapy in cases of an acute cardiac event and that therapy be initiated before discharge.