In the News


Effects of pandemic on alcohol use, mental health, primary care, and hospitalizations

Recent studies found that the pandemic was associated with increases in alcohol use and internet searches for mental health issues. The rise of telemedicine meant fewer blood pressure and cholesterol evaluations, and hospitalizations for several non-COVID-19 conditions stayed below normal.

COVID-19 Vaccine Forum: What Physicians Need to Know

The Oct. 16 forum hosted by ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine will feature a panel of experts including Anthony S. Fauci, MD, MACP.

MKSAP Quiz: Follow-up for Barrett esophagus

A 65-year-old man is evaluated with upper endoscopy in follow-up for Barrett esophagus. He has had heartburn for more than 15 years, but his symptoms have been well controlled with daily omeprazole. Biopsies confirm evidence of Barrett esophagus with low-grade dysplasia. What is the most appropriate next step in management?

Best practices for HCV care include less invasive testing for many patients, says ACP

The College's new advice on treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) identifies patients who can be safely treated in primary care with laboratory monitoring limited to the beginning and end of treatment and no invasive testing.

For back pain, early MRI didn't help, early physical therapy did, studies find

A retrospective study found worse outcomes in patients who received an MRI within six weeks of a visit for back pain, while a randomized trial found that early physical therapy for sciatica resulted in better outcomes than a wait-and-see approach.

Regular use of PPIs linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes

In an analysis of the Nurses' Health and Health Professionals studies, regular users of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) had a 24% higher risk of diabetes than nonusers, with longer duration of use associated with greater risk.

And the winner is …

ACP Internist Weekly has tallied the voting from its latest cartoon contest, where readers are invited to match wits against their peers to provide the most original and amusing caption.