Internal Medicine Alert
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Another Reason to Recommend Smoking Cessation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice, affecting an estimated 2.7 million individuals in the United States.1 The proportion of strokes attributable to AF increases strikingly from 1.5% at 50-59 years of age to 23.5% at 80-89 years of age.2 Approximately 15-20% of all strokes are due to AF. To predict the thromboembolic risk in the individual patient, risk models used most frequently are CHA2DS2-VASc and CHADS2 scores. The CHA2DS2-VASc score may be the better option since both the 2014 American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society AF guidelines, and the 2012 European Society of Cardiology AF guidelines prefer it when evaluating the individual thromboembolic risk associated with AF and to determine the risk:benefit ratio of antithrombotic therapy.3
Clinical Briefs
Modifying the Home Environment to Prevent Falls
Secukinumab Injection (Cosentyx™)
A recombinant, fully humanized monoclonal antibody to interleukin-17 has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Secukinumab is marketed by Novartis as Cosentyx.
B-type Natriuretic Peptides (BNP) Values Improve CVD Risk Prediction
Elevated BNP values in a large cohort of women with numerous CV events modestly improved measures of CVD risk prediction.
Does a Link Exist Between OSA and CAD?
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with coronary artery calcification in non-obese individuals, but the effect is largely attenuated by body mass index.
Statins After an MI: Does it Happen?
Following hospital discharge for a heart attack, the majority of Medicare patients do not get recommended high-intensity statin therapy.
Clinical Briefs
Ambulatory BP Monitoring, A New Oral Treatment for Hyperkalemia: Patiromer, Obesity Leads to Overdiagnosis of Airflow Obstruction
Strengthen the Feet to Treat Plantar Fasciitis
SYNOPSIS: A strength training exercise improved self-reported 3-month outcomes in treating plantar fasciitis compared with inserts and stretching.
Effects of Coenzyme Q10 in Chronic Heart Failure Patients
SYNOPSIS: Treatment with coenzyme Q10 in addition to standard therapy for patients with moderate to severe HF is safe, well tolerated, and associated with a reduction in symptoms and major adverse cardiovascular events.
Is BMI Good Enough to Measure Visceral Adiposity?
SYNOPSIS: A large international study found frequent discordance between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), driven by the substantial variability in visceral adiposity. Within each BMI category, patients with the highest WC were more likely to have higher cardiometabolic risk.