FP Essentials

Physicians who care for patients with dementia also must provide support for patient caregivers and family members. Caregiver burden requires attention from the health care team because most caregivers of patients with dementia report high levels of emotional stress. This burden is more severe when patients have comorbid conditions, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and more severe functional impairments. A functional assessment of activities of daily living can be done using standardized screening tools...

Dementia management requires individualized patient encounters that focus on education and realistic expectations. Numerous vitamins and supplements are promoted for memory enhancement, but they lack evidence to support their use. Nonpharmacotherapy should be used through all stages of dementia. Common initial pharmacotherapy includes cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, with use guided by dementia type, tolerability, patient goals, and disease stage. Assessment of benefit should incorporate caregiver input, functional improvements, behavioral symptoms, and tolerability...

Early and accurate diagnosis are crucial to appropriate care, ensuring timely intervention, and planning for future needs of patients with dementia. Dementia is a clinical diagnosis and should include comprehensive evaluation of patient cognitive and functional abilities, diagnostic laboratory evaluation, and brain imaging. A comprehensive evaluation for dementia includes a thorough medical history and physical examination, which may reveal important clues about the potential underlying causes of cognitive decline...

Dementia, also called major neurocognitive disorder, is characterized by a chronic progressive loss of cognitive function in the absence of fluctuating consciousness. It represents a primarily geriatric syndrome that may be caused by one of several underlying conditions. There is insufficient evidence to support universal screening for cognitive impairment in older adults; however, clinicians should be alert to patient and caregiver concerns about cognitive changes and investigate such concerns with validated cognitive assessment tools...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Neuropathic pain affects 7% to 10% of the population and has major effects on quality of life. It is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system and may be central or peripheral. Diagnostic testing may yield inconclusive or inconsistent results, so physicians often rely on clinical judgment based on the history and physical examination findings. Questionnaires and scoring systems can aid in diagnosis. Neuropathic pain is differentiated from other types of chronic pain by abnormal sensory symptoms, such as shooting pain, burning pain, or numbness...

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition characterized by intense pain, usually in a body region that has experienced trauma, and autonomic and inflammatory features. It most commonly develops after an arm or leg injury. Patients typically present with extreme hyperalgesia and/or allodynia. The Budapest Criteria are used to make this clinical diagnosis. Prompt diagnosis and aggressive management are critical because long-term outcomes are improved when treatment is initiated soon after symptom onset...

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a regional musculoskeletal pain disorder characterized by trigger points within the muscle or fascia. There are no universally accepted diagnostic criteria. Diagnosis currently is based on a physical examination finding of at least one localized trigger point that, when palpated, recreates the pain at the site or produces pain away from the site in a referral pattern. MPS is thought to be related to sustained muscle contraction from under- or overuse. This syndrome commonly coexists with other chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia...

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that is considered a pain processing disorder; its pathophysiology is not completely understood. The estimated prevalence in the general population varies from 0.5% to 12%, depending on the population studied and diagnostic criteria used. It is more common in females than males. There is no diagnostic laboratory test. The two currently used diagnostic methods are scoring criteria from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks (ACTTION)-American Pain Society (APS)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Risks during travel depend on travelers' comorbidities and trip activities. Travel on cruise ships, for pilgrimages or large events, or into the wilderness carries unique risks. Asking travelers about what activities they have planned or may do during travel can tailor the subsequent pretravel counseling points and help guide decisions about vaccines and drugs. Some prescriptions (eg, doxycycline for prophylaxis against leptospirosis) depend on the planned activities while abroad. Travelers should be prepared for potential emergencies and should be encouraged to research unique customs and laws in the countries they plan to visit before departure...

Becoming ill while traveling is an unfortunate but common event, with gastrointestinal, febrile, dermatologic, and respiratory symptoms predominating. However, many illnesses acquired abroad can be prevented or controlled with evidence-based preventive measures and judicious use of appropriate self-care and local medical care. It is important that travelers know how to use international medical care and are aware of available tools to help them identify appropriate medical care in another country. Discussion of evacuation insurance is a crucial part of the pretravel medical evaluation...

Certain conditions (eg, asthma, diabetes, physical disability, immunocompromise, severe allergies, pregnancy) may increase the risk of travel, but do not necessarily preclude it. Typical age-related physiologic changes also can increase the chances of serious injury or illness. For example, infection with malaria can result in more severe parasitemia in HIV-positive, pregnant, or older travelers. Physicians should evaluate each traveler as an individual, assessing risk tolerance and helping patients decide if the benefits outweigh the definite and potential costs...

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, international travel was increasing at a brisk rate. After a lull, it is picking up again and predicted to continue to climb as it had previously. International travel presents some unique health hazards, including infectious diseases, chronic disease exacerbation, environment-related illness, accidental injuries, and transportation-related illness. Many travelers appropriately seek medical consultation for advice and interventions to decrease their health risks during travel. The pretravel consultation consists of risk identification and preventive interventions...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Approximately 0.6% of adults (1 to 1.4 million adults) in the United States identify as transgender, and 2% of high school-aged individuals (150,000 to 300,000 individuals). Gender-affirming care for transgender and gender- diverse patients can include support with social transition or physical presentation, legal steps, and medical treatments (eg, hormone therapy) and surgeries. Adolescent and adult patients who request gender-affirming hormone therapy must meet several criteria. One is confirmed persistence of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence...

Given their association with aging, growth hormone (GH), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and melatonin ( N -acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) have been evaluated as potential antiaging treatments. It has been hypothesized that declining endocrine function, specifically the decreases in hormone production and secretion seen with aging, plays a role in development of frailty. This physiologic decrease in hormone levels differs from a pathologic decrease due to a condition or disease. However, the signs and symptoms can be similar...

The marked decrease in estrogen levels in menopausal women can cause bothersome symptoms that affect daily life. More than 75% of women experience menopausal symptoms, which can include vaginal dryness, itching, discharge, dyspareunia, mood changes, hot flushes, and night sweats. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms. Benefits include decreased risk of osteoporotic fractures and vaginal atrophy, improved glycemic control, and decreased vasomotor symptoms. However, recent research on risks associated with MHT has shown increased risk of venous thromboembolism and breast cancer...

Testosterone levels decrease as men age. When the testes fail to produce an adequate level of endogenous testosterone, men develop hypogonadism. Although the definition of a low testosterone level varies among guidelines, a serum total testosterone level of less than 300 to 350 ng/dL on two separate morning blood samples is considered a low level. To receive exogenous testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), patients should meet criteria for hypogonadism, which is defined as a low testosterone level and signs or symptoms of hypogonadism...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.