Table of Contents

May 21, 2002; 136 (10)

Articles

  • Neck pain is a common problem, but the effectiveness of frequently applied conservative therapies has never been directly compared. In this study, manual therapy was a favorable treatment option for patients with neck pain compared with physical therapy or continued care by a general practitioner.

  • Clinical variables fully explained sex differences in rates of revascularization after cardiac catheterization. Extreme caution is needed in interpreting reports on access to care that use sparsely detailed clinical data sources.

  • Falls and the resulting injuries are particularly common in older people living in residential care facilities, but knowledge about prevention is limited. An interdisciplinary and multifactorial prevention program targeting residents, staff, and the environment may reduce falls and femoral fractures.

Brief Communications

  • Alendronate increased bone mineral density at both the spine and hip in elderly female residents of long-term care facilities.

Review

  • This case-based review outlines the role of the primary care physician in caring for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Symptoms, testing, risk factors, prognosis, risk for transmission, health behaviors and diet, referral to subspecialists, liver biopsy, pharmacologic therapy, complementary and alternative medicine, and follow-up are discussed.

Clinical Guidelines

  • The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening adults for depression in clinical practices that have systems in place to assure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and follow-up. The Task Force concludes the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening of children or adolescents for depression.

  • This systematic review supports the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's position on screening for depression in adults.

Editorial

  • In this issue, Hoving and coworkers compared three common therapies for neck pain and found that manual therapy was most effective. Although their study has some drawbacks that make broader application of its findings difficult, it appears to merit replication to determine whether similar findings may occur in other clinical settings.

On Being a Doctor

  • When he arrived at my office, it was clear that Bruce was dying.

Letters

Medical Writings: Book Notes

Ad Libitum

Book Listings

Medical Notices

Summaries for Patients