Issue

CASE PRESENTATION
Mrs. B is a 52-year-old divorced Caucasian woman with a 20-year history of multiple sclerosis, relapsing-remitting type. She has been followed by a neurologist who specializes in multiple sclerosis and related disorders. Over the years she has been treated with steroids, interferon-beta, and was enrolled in a clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody. She is no longer ambulatory, but uses a motorized wheelchair independently.

She is referred for psychiatric evaluation due to episodes of spontaneous crying that occur without warning, usually while she is engaged in a conver

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by the year 2020 about 60 million Americans will be affected by arthritis. It is a leading cause of disability in developed countries. It limits the physical capability and independence of affected individuals and causes high stress levels for caregivers.

Although the diagnosis of arthritis includes a wide spectrum of more than 100 disorders, osteoarthritis (OA) by definition is a failure of joint cartilage due to “wear and tear.” By age 75, nearly 85% of the U.S. population has clinical or radiographic features of OA.1

Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus at a preclinical phase with pharmacologic treatment has been gaining interest. Medications that have been proposed include acarbose, metformin, orlistat, antihypertensives, and the thiazolidinediones (TZDs). The pharmacologic prevention of complications of diabetes using pharmacologic means, or tertiary prevention, is beyond the scope of this discussion. The Study TO Prevent Non–Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (STOP-NIDDM) is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized

FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY AFFECTING CME ACTIVITIES
As a provider accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), it is the policy of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to require the disclosure of the existence of any significant financial interest or any other relationship a faculty member or provider has with the manufacturer(s) of any commercial product(s) discussed in an educational presentation. The presenting faculty reported the following: Dr. Rehman has indicated that he has not received financial support for consultation, research or evaluation

This continuing medical education activity is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

These examination questions are based on the article “Involuntary Weight Loss in the Elderly,” which appears on pages 37-45 in this issue of Clinical Geriatrics.

ACCREDITATION
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide cont

Summer is a wonderful time of year for travel, picnics, buffets, and celebrations. Although these events are great ways to enjoy the season, they also bring the risk of food poisoning and other seasonal ailments. Mr. J is a 67-year-old man in general good health, other than medication-controlled hypertension and a remote history of malaria from the time he spent overseas in the military. While returning from a family trip, he decided to stop at a restaurant for a quick meal. The turkey salad prepared with pesto sauce looked and tasted fine. Within hours, however, he developed fever, watery dia

How often have you been asked, “What is a geriatrician?” and related questions that point to the need to improve the awareness of our profession and its value? Raising that awareness is more important than ever because geriatrics is truly at a turning point. No doubt you are already aware that the field faces obstacles: Few students and trainees in medicine and other health disciplines are choosing geriatrics (thereby contributing to a growing shortage of geriatricians and other geriatrics professionals), and shortfalls in funding for both research and education are limiting our ability t