American family physician
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American family physician · Dec 2014
Common questions about the diagnosis and management of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition that increases in prevalence with age. A history should include onset, duration, and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms and medication use to rule out other causes of symptoms. Physical examination includes a digital rectal examination and assessment for bladder distention or neurologic impairment. ⋯ Alpha blockers are first-line medications for BPH. Surgical referral is indicated if BPH-related complications develop, medical therapy fails, or the patient chooses it. Dietary supplements, such as saw palmetto, pygeum, cernilton, and beta sitosterols, and acupuncture are not recommended for the management of BPH.
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Incidentalomas are increasingly common findings on radiologic studies, causing worry for physicians and patients. Physicians should consider the risk of discovering incidentalomas when contemplating imaging. Patients may assume that incidentalomas are cancer, and may not be aware of the radiation risks associated with repeat imaging. ⋯ Lesions at category IIF or greater require serial monitoring or surgery. Benign or probably benign ovarian cysts 3 cm or smaller in premenopausal women or 1 cm or smaller in postmenopausal women do not require follow-up. Ovarian cysts with thickened walls or septa, or solid components with blood flow, should be managed closely.
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Tinea infections are caused by dermatophytes and are classified by the involved site. The most common infections in prepubertal children are tinea corporis and tinea capitis, whereas adolescents and adults are more likely to develop tinea cruris, tinea pedis, and tinea unguium (onychomycosis). The clinical diagnosis can be unreliable because tinea infections have many mimics, which can manifest identical lesions. ⋯ Oral terbinafine is first-line therapy for tinea capitis and onychomycosis because of its tolerability, high cure rate, and low cost. However, kerion should be treated with griseofulvin unless Trichophyton has been documented as the pathogen. Failure to treat kerion promptly can lead to scarring and permanent hair loss.
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Acute pancreatitis is most commonly caused by gallstones or chronic alcohol use, and accounts for more than 200,000 hospital admissions annually. Using the Atlanta criteria, acute pancreatitis is diagnosed when a patient presents with two of three findings, including abdominal pain suggestive of pancreatitis, serum amylase and/or lipase levels at least three times the normal level, and characteristic findings on imaging. It is important to distinguish mild from severe disease because severe pancreatitis has a mortality rate of up to 30%. ⋯ In severe cases involving greater than 30% necrosis, antibiotic prophylaxis with imipenem/cilastatin decreases the risk of pancreatic infection. In gallstone-associated pancreatitis, early cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy can decrease length of hospital stay and complication rates. A multidisciplinary approach to care is essential in cases involving pancreatic necrosis.