Articles related to Family Medicine/General Practice

Amy Watson became famous for coining the term “COVID long hauler” to describe people, such as herself, who suffer from the effects of the respiratory disease over an extended period. These long-haul symptoms can include fever, body aches, and fatigue. Watson herself says she rarely goes more than a few hours without suffering a fever, nearly two years after first contracting COVID-19. GoodRx Health chronicles Amy Watson’s story and what it’s like for people suffering from long COVID.

At the outset of the pandemic, biotechnology company Novavax was one of the frontrunners to bring a vaccine against COVID-19 to market. But nearly two years later, Novavax’s vaccine has yet to appear. In a compelling article, the BMJ details the repeated delays and setbacks that have torpedoed Novavax’s once-promising vaccine candidate and rendered it unnecessary now that other vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca flood the global marketplace.

Only about half of doctors in America identify themselves as “millionaires.” Like the rest of us, many physicians need to invest their money to grow it and build a retirement fund. And, increasingly, doctors are following the lead of the super-rich and investing in art. One-percenters are increasingly putting their money into art, which offers superior returns to the stock market averages with less risk and stress. Over time, the price of art tends to move in one direction — upwards — whereas stock prices can gyrate wildly and are prone to extreme volatility.

Only 8 of 35 studies could be included in the meta-analysis. Combined, these indicate a 25% risk reduction for physical distancing, 53% for mask-wearing, and 53% for hand washing. The accompanying BMJ editorial explores the possible reasons for the findings and the oddity that so little quality research is available on such an important topic.

This study involved 566 men and women between the ages of 28 and 97 years, who were patients in a preventive cardiology practice. The PULS Cardiac Test measures multiple protein biomarkers, including hepatocyte growth factor, soluble Fas, and IL-16, and uses the results to calculate a five-year risk score for new ACS. All factors more than doubled their prior above the norm level. The 5-year ACS PULS risk score more than doubled as a result.

There’s nothing like the sun when it comes to essential vitamin D. When your patients don’t get enough of it, fatigue and a host of other symptoms may arise. Here are 10 to keep an eye on if you think there may be a deficiency of vitamin D in your patients.