American family physician
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American family physician · Mar 2011
ReviewConsiderations for safe use of statins: liver enzyme abnormalities and muscle toxicity.
Statins play an important role in the care of patients with cardiovascular disease and have a good safety record in clinical practice. The risk of hepatic injury caused by statins is estimated to be about 1 percent, similar to that of patients taking a placebo. Patients with transaminase levels no more than three times the upper limit of normal can continue taking statins; often the elevations will resolve spontaneously. ⋯ When prescribed at one-half the recommended maximal dosage or less, statins are associated with an incidence of myopathy similar to that of placebo; therefore, rou- tine monitoring of creatine kinase levels in asymptomatic patients is not recommended. Myopathic symptoms usually resolve approximately two months after discontinuing the statin, and the same statin can be restarted at a lower dosage, or patients can try a different statin. Clinically important drugs that interact with statins and increase the risk of adverse effects include fibrates, diltiazem, verapamil, and amiodarone.
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American family physician · Mar 2011
ReviewUpdate on the evaluation and management of functional dyspepsia.
Dyspepsia affects up to 40 percent of adults each year and is often diagnosed as functional (nonulcer) dyspepsia. The defining symptoms are postprandial fullness, early satiation, or epigastric pain or burning in the absence of causative structural disease. These symptoms may coexist with symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as gastroesophageal reflux and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as anxiety and depression. ⋯ Eradication of H. pylori helps one out of 15 patients with functional dyspepsia diagnosed by endoscopy, but may not be cost-effective. Treatment options that may be beneficial for functional dyspepsia include histamine H2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and prokinetic agents. Although psychotropic medications and psychological interventions have no proven benefit in patients with functional dyspepsia, they are appropriate for treating common psychiatric comorbidities.