Articles related toPublic Health and Primary Care

A retrospective and prospective approach was used to measure medication adherence, health care utilization, costs, and self reported adherence and satisfaction among 681 patients with multiple sclerosis.

Pediatric obesity is on the rise and, therefore, so is the risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. One way of assessing this risk is testing for insulin resistance, but without definitive guidelines in the literature, categorizing young patients’ risk can be difficult; the authors systematically reviewed 298 articles and found 51 different homeostasis model assessment cutoff values were used to classify patients as having insulin resistance. .

Epidemiologic studies suggest a link between excess sugar consumption and obesity, fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. One important pathway that may link these metabolic diseases to sugar consumption is hepatic conversion of sugar to fat, a process known as de novo lipogenesis (DNL). In this article, the authors review the necessity of clear recommendations for patients about moderating sugar intake.

Atypical antipsychotic use in the United States has increased 5 to 6 times over the past decade. It is important for physicians to be mindful of potential adverse effects, including thrombocytopenia, which occurred in this patient.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) updates its Standards of Medical Care (SOMC) in Diabetes annually. This article highlights key aspects of the SOMC that are relevant to the daily practice of osteopathic primary care physicians. It is not intended to replace the full SOMC but will refer to the master document for further explanation and evidence based support.

Antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to elderly patients to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, despite the fact that they are not approved for this indication and can lead to devastating outcomes. This review informs physicians about this issue and summarizes the alternatives to antipsychotics, along with discussing reduction of antipsychotic use in patients with dementia who are already taking antipsychotics.

To determine whether latitude influences vitamin D levels and to investigate the influence of other factors that may affect vitamin D levels, including sex, race, skin type, and body mass index, the authors administered surveys and laboratory tests to 359 medical students.

Early diagnosis and treatment, above all else, is essential to optimizing outcomes among patients with muscular dystrophy. The authors discuss the signs and symptoms in this review.

Inadequate sun exposure and chronic disease continue to cause vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, conditions that affect almost 1 billion people worldwide. This evidence based clinical review discusses what is currently known about vitamin D and what areas need further research to clarify its role in health and disease.