Clinical Inquiries
Clinical Inquiries
What is the best way to evaluate acute diarrhea?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Limited evidence delineates the relative probabilities of causes of acute diarrhea, typically defined as a diarrheal...
Clinical Inquiries
Are any oral iron formulations better tolerated than ferrous sulfate?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Ferrous salt preparations (ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, and ferrous fumarate) are equally tolerable. (Grade of...
Clinical Inquiries
How effective are pharmacologic agents for alcoholism?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Naltrexone (ReVia) and nalmefene (Revex) are the most effective agents for treating alcoholism. Acamprosate is effective...
Clinical Inquiries
What is the prognosis for acute low back pain?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: The proportion of patients who are pain free or completely recovered after an acute episode of low back pain within 2 weeks...
Clinical Inquiries
What levels of cholesterol should be treated for primary prevention?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: The levels of cholesterol that should be treated for primary prevention are based on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (...
Clinical Inquiries
How beneficial are thiazolidinediones for diabetes mellitus?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: The thiazolidinediones pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) are effective at lowering fasting plasma glucose (...
Clinical Inquiries
When should acute nonvenereal conjunctivitis be treated with topical antibiotics?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Children with suspected or culture-proven acute nonvenereal bacterial conjunctivitis should be treated with topical...
Clinical Inquiries
What is the most effective treatment for external genital warts?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Podofilox (Condylox), imiquimod (Aldara), cryotherapy, and surgical options all seem reasonable alternatives that are...
Clinical Inquiries
What are the indications for tonsillectomy in children?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy is minimally effective when combined with tympanostomy tube placement in...
Clinical Inquiries
How effective are exercise and physical therapy for chronic low back pain?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Exercise is more effective for chronic low back pain than treatment with medication plus return to usual activity and as...
Clinical Inquiries
How often is coughing the presenting complaint in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Frequent coughing is a concern for approximately 35% of those with typical gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms...