Internal Medicine Alert – October 30, 2010
October 30, 2010
View Issues
-
Is Statin Therapy Ever Indicated in Young Adults?
Initiating treatment for hypercholesterolemia at age 30 years instead of age 60 years might very well prevent not just 30% of the CAD events as occurred in the 5-year statin trials, but perhaps as many as 60% of the CAD events lifetime. -
What's Best for the Breast?
In a very large Norwegian study, use of screening mammography was associated with a reduction in the rate of death from breast cancer, but the screening itself accounted for only about a third of the total reduction in death rate. -
Could that Persistent Cough Be Pertussis? Don't Rely on the Whoop
A systematic review shows that the three classical symptoms of paroxysmal cough, post-tussive emesis, and inspiratory whoop are helpful for the diagnosis, but cannot be relied upon to rule in or rule out pertussis as the cause of a chronic cough. -
Pegloticase Injection (Krystexxa™)
A recombinant, polyethylene glycol (PEG) mammalian urate oxidase (uricase) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of hyperuricemia. Uricase metabolizes urate to allantoin, a water-soluble metabolite, which is cleared renally. Pegliticase is marketed by Savient Pharmaceuticals as Krystexxa™. -
Clinical Briefs by Louis Kuritzky, MD
The incretin class of medications (exenatide, liraglutide, sitagliptin, saxagliptin) all share the favorable quality of not being associated with weight gain.