Internal Medicine Alert – June 30, 2014

June 30, 2014

• The Obesity Epidemic and How We Got It Wrong

  Recent evidence suggests that the ingestion of high glycemic carbohydrates is the main problem with overweight and obesity and intake of these products increased after the introduction of low-fat foods.

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• Sleep Apnea and the Risk of Pneumonia

  In a large, population-based study, patients with obstructive sleep apnea had a 1.2-fold increased risk of incident pneumonia over a 4-year period compared with matched controls, and the risk was highest for those who used CPAP.

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• Sleeping Pills Increase Risk of Death

  Chronic use of sleeping medications, particularly benzodiazepines, is associated with an increase in all-cause mortality, and should be avoided if at all possible.

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• The Wells Rule May Not Be Reliable for All Patients

  In a patient presenting with leg symptoms, however non-specific, it is appropriate that a physician consider the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), as failure to make this diagnosis can have life-threatening consequences (e.g., pulmonary embolism).

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• Clinical Briefs

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