Primary Care
Physician perspectives on preventive care, chronic disease management, and evidence-based primary care practice.
Recent Discussions
Do you routinely monitor imaging or pulmonary function in patients with pulmonary TB after the completion of therapy?
The simple answer will be: NO.
Does your approach to treating latent tuberculosis differ in a patient on anti-fibrotic therapy?
With the increasingly common indication of progressive pulmonary fibrosis in the setting of CT-ILD, RA, and scleroderma, it is conceivable that patients being started on antifibrotic therapy may be on anti-TNF alpha or other immunosuppressive agents. Specifically with anti-TNF alpha agents such as R...
Do you check EPO levels in patients with anemia of chronic kidney disease?
No, I never check EPO levels in patients with anemia of CKD since they're uninterpretable. Patients with CKD have inadequate EPO synthesis for their degree of anemia, so their EPO levels may be greater than normal yet still not sufficient to correct the anemia. We now understand the role of inflamma...
Are you using the microbial cell-free DNA “Karius” test to aid in the diagnosis of an atypical pulmonary infection such as PJP or NTM?
No, not at this time. Intriguing, but not sure we know enough yet.
How would you manage a middle-aged patient with Paget's disease who received one dose of zolendronic acid 2 years ago, currently suppressed CTX, normal bone-specific Alkaline phos, and a recent hairline fracture in the thoracic spine?
Parathyroid hormone analogs are, of course, contraindicated in patients with Paget's disease and I am not aware of any data regarding the use of romosozumab in patients with this condition. Paget's disease is primarily considered to be an osteoclast-related disorder and bisphosphonates, particularly...
How would you approach treating a patient with active rheumatoid arthritis and a history of treated lymphoma that is currently in remission?
I would individualize treatment in each patient depending on degree of RA activity, type of lymphoma and length of time of remission with shared decision-making between myself, patient and oncologist. For moderate to high degree of activity of RA, in general, rituximab in keeping with the ACR 2021 g...
How do you interpret the results of oligoclonal bands ordered to evaluate for demyelinating disease in patients with brain MRI lesions of unclear etiology?
While the presence of oligoclonal bands (OCBs) has been incorporated in the updated diagnostic criteria as a surrogate for dissemination in time, OCBs should not be used in isolation to make the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. There are several systemic and peripheral immune diseases, including inf...
Do you obtain spot urine protein or 24 hour urine protein quantification studies in pregnant patients who are found to have proteinuria on a standard urinalysis test?
If a patient has a positive dipstick for protein, I would do a 24-hour collection, just to get the most accurate answer to the question of whether there is truly abnormal proteinuria or not, and taking into account the physiologic protein increase that happens during pregnancy. I generally check a b...
How do you approach patients with RA and severe bronchiectasis with associated findings of UIP?
Usual Interstitial Pneumonia or UIP is among the most serious forms of RA-associated lung disease. Clinical studies have demonstrated that its prognosis is similar to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). UIP is extremely challenging to treat and we have learned from experience that our DMARDs and bi...
How do you approach patients with onychomycosis that does not respond to terbinafine and prolonged courses of fluconazole?
Terbinafine is usually effective in the treatment of the most common nail infections. Failure of treatment with terbinafine and fluconazole should make us consider bacterial co-infection or other non-dermatophyte organisms (i.e., aspergillus or non-C albicans). Fungal cultures are often falsely nega...