By Jayne Morgan, MD
Atlanta is on the precipice of an explosion in biotechnology and certainly poised to lead the takeover of the Southeast in biotechnology innovation. I say this with some pride, and I don’t say this lightly. Having spent the last 16 years in this sector, the growth is evident to anyone paying attention. And talent runs deep here. It’s no wonder we are called THE hottest market ... Continue Reading
By Lauren Abern, MD, and Jake Cook
Transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth. (See Figure 1.) The estimated number of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals ranges between 0.1% and 2% of the population.1 Most studies on TGD people assessed those seeking care or were referred for care at gender-affirming healthcare centers2, yet the ... Continue Reading
By Georgia Forrest, MD, Saira Adeel, MD and Elizabeth Hill, MD
American Diabetes Association 2022 Standards of Care update. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) published the annual update to its Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes in January 2022. This article will discuss key changes and updates to the Standards of Care as it pertains to adults with type 2 diabetes. We will provide information on: New screening ... Continue Reading
By Alicia Shelly, MD
CASE: Patient A.J. is a 45-year-old female who comes in for an annual physical. She has a history of Class 2 obesity, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. You noticed that she gained 20 pounds since her last visit six months ago. She has no complaints. You would like to discuss her weight gain. What is the next step? Ask her if it is okay to discuss her weight. Ask Ask ... Continue Reading
"What do you mean my blood pressure is high? I feel just fine.” In primary care, the above sentence is all too familiar, and it is the classic tell that this patient’s hypertension will be more difficult to treat. Patients are motivated to treat their illnesses if such illness causes discomfort or impairment. While our patients willingly seek care when something hurts, it ... Continue Reading
“I see that you’re taking a multivitamin. What are you taking it for?” I asked my 80-year-old patient. “Oh, I’m taking it for my memory, joint pain and to improve my hearing,” she responded. “OK. I see that you missed all the words on the memory test. We may need to find you a different vitamin,” I yelled back at my patient as she cupped her hand around her ... Continue Reading
It is 1957. In a tiny apartment in married student housing in Raleigh, N.C., boy cousins, six and five, sit on their bunk beds, ill and bored, quarantined with the mumps. I remember this illness vividly and the quarantine I shared with Jimmy. It was one of the UCHD of the past, “usual childhood diseases,” which we all seemed to have during our youth in the ’50s. The mumps ... Continue Reading
Weight loss surgery, or bariatric and metabolic surgery, continues to be refined as improved techniques and instrumentation evolve. Today, the surgeries are performed either laparoscopically or robotically, which allows for faster recovery times, fewer complications, shorter hospital stays and less pain. Bariatric surgery is one of the most studied and scrutinized surgical ... Continue Reading
Adiposity-Based Chronic Disease (ABCD) - A guide to medical management and updates in obesity medicine. The global prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. Obesity, which severely impacts the lives of both children and adults, has now been labeled a pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO)1 estimates that at least 2.8 million people die each year due to ... Continue Reading
As the coronavirus pandemic comes closer to the 2-year mark, the impact of many chronic conditions continues to become more evident in American society. It is clear that a history of heart disease, diabetes and obesity increases morbidity and mortality with COVID. The southeastern United States continues to lead the nation in rates of those three risk factors.1 It is common ... Continue Reading
Now that COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions are beginning to ease, our patients are boarding flights and boats in record numbers. Be sure to discuss upcoming travel plans with your patients and discuss the need for routine immunizations (including COVID-19) and any potential travel-related vaccinations at least one month prior to their departure. Advising ... Continue Reading
By Varun K. Phadke, MD, and Stephanie M. Pouch, MD, MS, FAST
In the United States, more than 30,000 organ transplants are performed each year, and more than 100,000 individuals are actively waitlisted for transplantation. Owing to their underlying comorbidities and anti-rejection therapy, which is immunosuppressive, solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are uniquely vulnerable to severe illness and complications due to a wide range of ... Continue Reading
By Helen K. Kelley
As we go to press this month, more than 200 vaccines for COVID-19 are under development around the world. In the U.S., multiple companies are working to create a vaccine, with hopes for a safe and effective solution by the end of the year. We spoke with Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, MACP, an internal medicine physician, adjunct associate professor of medicine at Emory ... Continue Reading
By Tina-Ann Thompson, MD, LeShea Turner and Ted Johnson, MD, MPH
Telehealth innovation and transitions and the effect of COVID-19 on primary care practices On March 11, 2020, the Atlanta Hawks lost in overtime to the visiting New York Knicks. While disappointed, the 10,000+ individuals in the State Farm Arena crowd had won a free chicken sandwich (a Knicks player had missed two 4th quarter foul/“fowl†shots). Yet as the arena began ... Continue Reading
By Nicole M. Franks, MD, FACEP, and Monique A. Smith, MD
The quest for Health Equity in America has been a long journey, and it has taken the COVID-19 pandemic to further expose a long history of racial injustice and healthcare disparities. In addition to the COVID-19 forced pause on how we live, technology and the availability of information continues to provide additional lenses for all to view how people are born, grow, live, ... Continue Reading
