The American journal of medicine
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Hypertension accounts for approximately 1 in 5 deaths in American women and is the major contributor to many comorbid conditions. Although blood pressure lowering reduces cardiovascular disease outcomes, considerable uncertainty remains on best management in women. Specifically, female blood pressure treatment goals have not been established, particularly among older and African American and Hispanic women, for whom hypertension prevalence, related adverse outcomes, and poor control rates are high. ⋯ Although confirming that a lower blood pressure goal is generally better, because female enrollment and event rates were low and follow-up shortened, outcomes differences in women were not statistically significant. Thus optimal blood pressure goals for women have not been established with the highest evidence. This review addresses SPRINT's significance and key remaining knowledge gaps in optimal blood pressure management to improve women's health.
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Low back and lower extremity pain are among the most common complaints encountered by physicians. Distinguishing pain due to primary extremity pathology versus lumbar radiculopathy can be challenging. ⋯ In patients in whom surgical intervention is being considered by a spine or arthroplasty surgeon, intra-articular or epidural steroid injections may help to reveal the underlying cause of pain via short-term symptomatic relief. Additionally, patients presenting with vague lower extremity pain after recent or distant joint arthroplasty should be considered for potential failure or infection of their implant before assuming the symptoms are coming from the lumbar spine.
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Based on a collaborative symposium in 2014 hosted by the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), this paper presents a model for physical activity counseling for primary care physicians (PCPs). Most US adults do not meet national recommendations for physical activity levels. ⋯ However, PCPs have reported socioecological barriers to physical activity counseling and also patient barriers to physical activity, spanning from the individual to the environmental (eg, lack of safe spaces for physical activity), policy (eg, reimbursement policies), and organizational (eg, electronic medical record protocols, worksite norms/policies) levels. The aims of this paper are to: 1) discuss barriers to PCP counseling for physical activity; 2) provide evidence-based strategies and techniques to help PCPs address these counseling barriers; and 3) suggest practical steps for PCPs to counsel patients on physical activity using strategies and supports from policy, the primary care team, and other support networks.