In high-risk adults aged 50 to 80 y, USPSTF recommends annual lung cancer screening with LDCT (moderate certainty).

SOURCE CITATION: US Preventive Services Task Force; Krist AH, Davidson KW, et al. Screening for lung cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2021;325:962-70. 33687470.

In older adults without CVD, treating 100 persons with statins for 2.5 y prevents 1 MACE.

SOURCE CITATION: Yourman LC, Cenzer IS, Boscardin WJ, et al. Evaluation of time to benefit of statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in adults aged 50 to 75 years: a meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2021;181:179-85. 33196766.

Teaching Pain Management in Interprofessional Medical Education: A Review of Three Portal of Geriatric Online Education Modules.

Chronic pain is an international healthcare crisis that affects an estimated 1.5 billion individuals worldwide, but pain management is not emphasized in the medical school curriculum, and thus supplemental education is essential. The Portal of Geriatric Online Education (POGOe) is a free repository of teaching modules for use by geriatric educators and learners. This article highlights three teaching modules available on this site: It's My Old Back Again: An Approach to Diagnosing and Managing Back Pain in the Older Adult (POGOe ID: 21670), Computer Based Learning Workbook, Third Edition module on Pain Management (POGOe ID: 21036), and Aging Q3 Curriculum on Pain Management of Older Adult Patients (POGOe ID: 21187). These modules were chosen based on their ability to address the major topics that the International Association for the Study of Pain proposes should be included in medical school curricula: mulitdimensional nature of pain, pain assessment and measurement, management of pain, and clinical conditions resulting in pain in older adults. They were also selected for their ability to be adapted for interprofessional education and how well they integrate basic science and clinical principles.

Palliative care teaching in medical residency: a review of two POGO-e teaching products.

This is a comparison review of GeriaSims and Care of the Aging Medical Patient (CHAMP) modules addressing issues in palliative and hospice medicine found in the Portal of Geriatric Online Education, a free on-line repository of geriatric educational materials for medical educators. GeriaSims is a self-directed teaching module designed to systematically address many of the important questions involved in caring for individuals with chronic progressive and life-limiting illnesses. It is well suited for physicians, particularly medical residents and fellows in-training, who provide care for medically complicated elderly and terminally ill individuals. The CHAMP module is designed to familiarize physician educators with palliative and hospice medicine basics to teach residents and fellows through didactic slides, although it can probably be adapted for use by residents and fellows if audio commentary accompanies the slides. Both modules address practical approaches to addressing palliative care in patients and their families. They are useful teaching tools that address an important learning need and can be readily used to supplement current residency curriculum in hospice and palliative medicine.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease screening in adults: American College Of Preventive Medicine position statement on preventive practice.

CONTEXT: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD), carotid artery stenosis (CAS), peripheral artery disease (PAD), and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), affect millions of U.S. adults and are leading causes of morbidity and mortality. There is some uncertainty regarding the utility of certain screening tests for prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Current guidelines and studies pertaining to CHD, CAS, PAD, and AAA screening in the adult population were reviewed. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: CHD risk can be estimated by the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), which is valuable in identifying high-risk asymptomatic adults who may benefit from preventive treatments. There is moderate certainty that the benefits of screening do not outweigh the harms for individuals with asymptomatic CAS. The potential harms associated with routine PAD screening in asymptomatic adults are also likely to exceed benefits. Ultrasonography is a safe, noninvasive, and reliable screening test used to identify AAAs for treatment in men aged >65 years who have ever smoked. CONCLUSIONS: American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) recommends CHD risk assessment using the FRS to guide risk-based therapy. ACPM does not recommend routine screening of the general adult population using electrocardiogram, exercise-stress testing, computed tomography scanning, ankle-brachial index, carotid intima medial thickness, or emerging risk factors, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). ACPM does not recommend routine screening of the general adult population for CAS or PAD. ACPM recommends one-time AAA screening in men aged 65-75 years who have ever smoked. Routine AAA screening in women is not recommended.

Loop diuretic use and rates of hip bone loss and risk of falls and fractures in older women.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether loop diuretic use is associated with hip bone loss and greater risk of falls and fractures in older women. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from August 1992 to April 2004. SETTING: Four regions in the United States from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). PARTICIPANTS: Women aged 65 and older (N=8,127) with medication use data who participated in the fourth SOF examination, from which three study cohorts were derived. MEASUREMENTS: Bone mineral density (BMD) of the total hip assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the fourth and sixth examinations (n=2,980); recurrent (> or =2) falls in the year after the fourth examination (n=6,244); and incident fracture, including nonspine (n=6,778) and hip fracture (n=7,272). RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, loop diuretic users had greater loss of total hip BMD than nonusers (mean annualized % BMD -0.87 vs -0.71, P=.03) after a mean of 4.4+/-0.6 years. The risks of recurrent falls (odds ratio=0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.71-1.39), nonspine (relative risk (RR)=1.04, 95% CI=0.90-1.21), and hip fracture (RR=1.03, 95% CI=0.81-1.31) were not greater in loop diuretic users than in nonusers. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of older women, loop diuretic use was associated with a small but significantly higher rate of hip bone loss than nonuse after a mean duration of 4.4 years, although the risk of falls or fracture did not differ between the two groups.

Screening for osteoporosis in the adult U.S. population: ACPM position statement on preventive practice.

CONTEXT: Osteoporosis is a common and costly disease that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of direct evidence supporting the benefits of bone mineral density (BMD) screening on osteoporosis outcomes. However, there is indirect evidence to support screening for osteoporosis given the availability of medications with good antifracture efficacy. This paper addresses the position of the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) on osteoporosis screening. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The medical literature was reviewed for studies examining the benefits and harms of osteoporosis screening. An overview is also provided of available modalities for osteoporosis screening, risk-assessment tools, cost effectiveness, benefits and harms of screening, rationale for the study, and recommendations from leading health organizations and ACPM. A review was done of English language articles published prior to September 2008 that were retrieved via search on PubMed, from references from pertinent review or landmark articles, and from websites of leading health organizations. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: There were no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of osteoporosis screening on fracture outcomes. However, there was one observational study that demonstrated reduced fracture incidence among recipients of BMD testing. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry is currently one of the most widely accepted and utilized methods for assessing BMD. Other potential tests for detecting osteoporosis include quantitative ultrasound, quantitative computer tomography, and biochemical markers of bone turnover. Testing via BMD is a cost-effective method for detecting osteoporosis in both men and women. Osteoporosis risk-assessment tools such as the WHO fracture-risk algorithm are useful supplements to BMD assessments as they provide estimates of absolute fracture risks. They can also be used with or without BMD testing to assist healthcare providers and patients in making decisions regarding osteoporosis treatments. CONCLUSIONS: All adult patients aged >or=50 years should be evaluated for risk factors for osteoporosis. Screening with BMD testing for osteoporosis is recommended in women aged >or=65 years and in men aged >or=70 years. Younger postmenopausal women and men aged 50-69 years should undergo screening if they have at least one major or two minor risk factors for osteoporosis. It is also recommended that clinicians consider using an osteoporosis risk-assessment tool to evaluate absolute fracture risk to determine appropriate osteoporosis therapies.

Loop diuretic use and increased rates of hip bone loss in older men: the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study.

BACKGROUND: Older adults commonly use loop diuretics, which can increase urinary calcium excretion, leading to potential bone loss. Studies examining the association between loop diuretics and bone mineral density (BMD) are lacking, particularly those involving men. METHODS: In this cohort study, we ascertained medication use (interviewer-administered questionnaire verified with inspection of medication containers) and measured the BMD of the total hip and 2 subregions (by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) at baseline and at a second visit an average of 4.6 years later among 3269 men aged 65 years and older. RESULTS: Eighty-four men were categorized as continuous users of loop diuretics, 181 as intermittent users of loop diuretics, and 3004 men as nonusers of loop diuretics. After adjustment for age, baseline BMD, body mass index, weight change from baseline, physical activity,clinic site, perceived health status, cigarette smoking status, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and statin use, the average annual rate of decline in total hip BMD steadily increased from -0.33% (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.36% to -0.31%) for nonusers,to -0.58% (95% CI, -0.69% to -0.47%) for intermittent users, and to -0.78% (95% CI, -0.96% to -0.60%)for continuous users. Findings were similar for change in BMD at the femoral neck and trochanter. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that loop diuretic use in older men is associated with increased rates of hip bone loss. These results suggest that the potential for bone loss should be considered when loop diuretics are prescribed to older patients in clinical practice.

Screening for prostate cancer in U.S. men ACPM position statement on preventive practice.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in U.S. men, and the third leading cause of cancer deaths. Principal screening tests for detection of asymptomatic prostate cancer include digital rectal examination (DRE) and measurement of the serum tumor marker, prostate-specific antigen (PSA). There are risks and benefits associated with prostate cancer screening. Randomized controlled trials of screening by DRE and PSA are limited to two previously published studies. Two other large-scale randomized controlled trials are currently in progress. METHODS: This study reviewed the efficacy of DRE and PSA for prostate cancer screening found in the medical literature prior to July 2007. RESULTS: Applications of PSA screening tests used in clinical practice include (1) a PSA cutoff of 4 ng/ml, (2) age-specific PSA, (3) PSA velocity, (4) PSA density, and (5) percent free PSA. Prostate cancer screening can detect early disease and offers the potential to decrease morbidity and mortality. Prostate cancer screening benefits, however, remain unproven, pending results of ongoing trials. There is currently no convincing evidence that early screening, detection, and treatment improves mortality. Limitations of prostate cancer screening include potential adverse health effects associated with false-positive and negative results, and treatment side effects. CONCLUSIONS: The American College of Preventive Medicine concludes that there is insufficient evidence to recommend routine population screening with DRE or PSA. Clinicians caring for men, especially African-American men and those with positive family histories, should provide information about potential benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening, and the limitations of current evidence for screening, in order to maximize informed decision making.

Validation of a five-point self-rated stress score.

PURPOSE: To validate a five-point self-rated stress score (SRSS) with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaire in identifying psychological distress. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 266 consecutive patients seen in the division of clinical health psychology. Patients were asked to rate their stress level on a numeric score from 1 (low stress) to 5 (high stress). Patients also completed the SCL-90-R questionnaire, from which the Global Severity Index (GSI) was calculated. RESULTS: The SRSS correlated positively with the GSI (r = .40, p < .001). After multivariate adjustment, the odds ratio of psychological distress for patients with an SRSS of 2, 3, 4, and 5 relative to those with low stress were 2.6 (p = .30), 2.4 (p = .30), 6.1 (p < .05), and 24.8 (p < .001). DISCUSSION: Patients with the highest self-rated stress levels have a significantly increased risk of psychological distress. The SRSS is simple to administer in the outpatient setting and may be a useful instrument in screening for psychological distress.

Cryptosporidiosis outbreak in a recreational swimming pool in Minnesota.

On May 6, 1998, the Olmsted County Public Health Department initiated an investigation into an outbreak of diarrheal illness that had occurred among people who swam frequently at a local swimming pool. Interviews of swimmers and microbiological testing of stool samples and swimming pool filter material were conducted to determine the source of the outbreak. Twenty-six of 206 swimmers interviewed had illnesses that met the case definition. The most common symptoms were diarrhea (100 percent), abdominal cramps (81 percent), and nausea (77 percent). The median duration of symptoms was nine days. Four cases of cryptosporidiosis were confirmed by stool analysis. The outbreak was found to be associated with swimming at the pool. Public awareness-including an understanding that recreational water facilities should be avoided during diarrheal illness-and proper pool hygiene are vital in preventing cryptosporidiosis outbreaks. Health care providers also must consider testing specifically for cryptosporidiosis when a patient presents with persistent diarrhea.