The American journal of medicine
-
Review
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: IS RHYTHM CONTROL REQUIRED, AND IF SO, HOW, AND WHAT IS THE INTERNIST'S ROLE?
Atrial fibrillation-no primary care physician can escape it. Atrial fibrillation is the most common tachyarrhythmia encountered in clinical practice-whether family practice, internal medicine, cardiology, pulmonology medicine, etc. Moreover, with growth of the older segment of our population and better survival of patients with cardiovascular disorders, the incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation are both increasing progressively. ⋯ The latter is the most complex of the 4, and many, if not most, primary care physicians currently prefer to leave this "pillar" to the care of a cardiologist or electrophysiologist. Nonetheless, it is important for the primary care physician to be familiar with the rhythm treatment components and choices (both overall and, specifically, the ones in which they must participate) as they will impact many interactions with their patients in multiple ways. This review details for the primary care physician the components of care regarding rhythm control of atrial fibrillation and the areas in which the primary care physician/internist must be knowledgeable and proactively involved.
-
Sickle cell trait is typically considered benign. Although evidence remains inconsistent, recent studies suggest that it is associated with several common diseases. We systematically assessed associations of sickle cell trait with reported diseases in a large population-based cohort. ⋯ Sickle cell trait is significantly associated with increased risk for diabetes and diabetes-related complications/comorbidities.
-
We aim to describe reporting and representation of minority patient populations in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) clinical trials and assess predictors of enrollment disparity. ⋯ The reporting of participation by racial or ethnic subgroup categories is inadequate. Women, older adults, as well as Black and Hispanic participants are significantly underrepresented in ICI clinical trials.