Primary Care
Physician perspectives on preventive care, chronic disease management, and evidence-based primary care practice.
Recent Discussions
How do you approach treatment of RA with methotrexate in a patient with treated Hepatitis C and normal liver function?
Active hepatitis C infection can be present in the setting of normal liver function tests. So, I always check for the viral load, especially if the hep C treatment was done more than a few years ago. Here, the old alpha interferon-based treatments achieved a cure rate no better than 30%. The newer a...
How do you approach DMARD therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic hepatitis B?
Patients with hepatitis B core positivity, surface antigen positivity, and positive PCR for viral DNA, should be treated with entecavir prior to starting any DMARD. Given the DNA PCR is positive too, that indicates active viral replication and they may need treatment for a while before starting anyt...
How do you counsel patients on the use of topical nitroglycerin for Raynaud's?
I am actually not a big fan of topical NTG for Raynaud phenomenon. We know that there is some significant systemic absorption and patients may have high rates of side effects (such as headache). These rates were as high as 30% in some of the studies, which I think is higher than we see with use of o...
What are high-risk clinical and echocardiographic features in pregnant patients with congenital heart disease?
The most commonly used risk stratification tool available has been the mWHO maternal cardiovascular risk classification which places women into different categories (I-IV) based on diagnosis/ residual lesions. Class IV patients are considered very high risk for cardiovascular events (bleeding, throm...
How have you incorporated biologics targeting the IL-36 pathway (e.g. Spevigo) into your treatment algorithm for psoriasis?
I would use Spevigo for generalized pustular psoriasis. For more common forms of psoriasis, I prescribe biologics approved for plaque-type psoriasis.
Is there any evidence regarding bone density gains/fracture reduction in the setting of treatment with romosozumab after a two year course of teriparatide?
There was a study by Ebina et al., PMID 34020048 titled "To investigate the effects of prior treatment and determine the predictors of a 12-month treatment response of romosozumab (ROMO) in 148 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis".This study was a prospective, observational, and multicenter st...
What do you recommend for women on AI therapy who experience excessive hair loss?
In addition to the suggestions from @Dr. First Last, there was also a study reported in 2018 by Freites-Martinez et al. in JAMA Dermatology that reported a moderate to significant improvement in endocrine therapy-induced alopecia with topical minoxidil 5%. This is a relatively straightforward, over ...
What are the potential causes for significant discrepancies between predicted A1c by Dexcom CGM and standard serum A1c by lab draw?
When interpreting A1C and CGM results, it is important to remember that neither measure is perfect. As in all clinical conditions, it is important to evaluate A1C and CGM results in the context of the clinical situation. If there is a disparity between the two measures, one should review the limitat...
How do you approach discussing the pill burden of voclosporin with patients who already have to take a regimen such as MMF+HCQ+ACEi and possibly more?
Medication adherence and a chronic disease such as lupus is an issue regardless of the number of medications. For example, hydroxychloroquine is very effective, but studies often show poor adherence as measured blood levels may be undetectable or below the intended therapeutic target.For patients wi...
When do you consider extending the dosing interval for patients on biologics with CRSwNP?
In patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP) who are on biologics, I would wait four (4) symptom-free months before considering extending the dose interval. I can only cite personal experience and not evidence in the medical literature.