The American journal of medicine
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The International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 included a code only for anaphylactic shock. The improved ICD-10 coding defines the different symptoms and types of anaphylaxis and includes coding for anaphylaxis without shock. This new coding is consistent with the efforts of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), who convened a panel to formulate a definition of and the diagnostic criteria for anaphylaxis. ⋯ Delays in epinephrine administration have been associated with fatalities. Patients should have ready access to >1 epinephrine autoinjector in the outpatient setting. An individualized emergency action plan should be developed for each patient at risk for anaphylaxis.
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Reports suggest worse health-related outcomes among black (vs white) men diagnosed with prostate cancer, but appropriate cause-effect inferences are complicated by the relationship of race and other prognostic factors. ⋯ Mortality among black and white patients with prostate cancer is similar in equal-access healthcare systems. Studies that find racial differences in mortality (including cause-specific mortality) among men with prostate cancer may not account fully for socioeconomic and clinical factors.
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Several common misconceptions can make the clinical diagnosis of subacute pericardial tamponade challenging. Widely known physical findings of pericardial tamponade lack sensitivity and specificity. ⋯ Over-reliance on echocardiography may result in over-utilization of pericardial drainage procedures. Awareness of these misconceptions with an integrative approach to both clinical and imaging data will help clinicians to assess the hemodynamic impact of pericardial effusion and the need for drainage.
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Review Case Reports
Oxalate nephropathy due to 'juicing': case report and review.
A patient presented with oxalate-induced acute renal failure that was attributable to consumption of oxalate-rich fruit and vegetable juices obtained from juicing. We describe the case and also review the clinical presentation of 65 patients seen at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) from 1985 through 2010 with renal failure and biopsy-proven renal calcium oxalate crystals. The cause of renal oxalosis was identified for all patients: a single cause for 36 patients and at least 2 causes for 29 patients. ⋯ Identification of calcium oxalate crystals in a kidney biopsy should prompt an evaluation for causes of renal oxalosis, including a detailed dietary history. Clinicians should be aware that an oxalate-rich diet may potentially precipitate acute renal failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. Juicing followed by heavy consumption of oxalate-rich juices appears to be a potential cause of oxalate nephropathy and acute renal failure.
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Review
Initiating basal insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes: practical steps to optimize glycemic control.
Primary care practitioners are increasingly responsible for the management of the escalating numbers of patients with type 2 diabetes. The majority of these patients will require insulin replacement therapy as their disease progresses, because glycemic control is often unsustainable using oral antidiabetic drugs. ⋯ The importance of patient education in overcoming barriers to insulin is discussed, as well as the choice of available basal insulins and the necessity to optimize basal insulin dosage by self-titration. The traditional view of insulin therapy as a last resort is challenged with the modern basal insulin analogues (insulin detemir and insulin glargine), which offer simple and effective glycemic control with a reduced risk of hypoglycemia compared with older insulin formulations such as neutral protamine Hagedorn.