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Social Determinants of Health and Low Back Pain

Teaser: 

1Ted Findlay, DO, CCFP, FCFP, 2Dr. Eugene Wai, MD, MSc, CIP, FRCSC,

1Medical Staff, Calgary Chronic Pain Centre at Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta. 2Associate Professor, University of Ottawa Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cross Appointment to School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Ottawa, ON.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: It has long been recognized that, following an intervention, two patients with very similar or even identical pathophysiology can have dramatically different outcomes. There is increasing recognition of the role and importance of the social determinants of health as a factor in explaining these differences. This article reviews a number of recent studies that explain the impact of these social determinants, specifically in chronic pain and low back pain. It includes commonly used screening tools and advice for interventions.
Key Words: Social determinants of health, chronic pain, low back pain, screening, social prescription.

Members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada may claim MAINPRO-M2 Credits for this unaccredited educational program.

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1. According the World Health Organization, the impact of the social determinants of health on health and illness may outweigh that of health care or lifestyle choices.
2. The social determinants of health identified as being of the most importance specifically for low back pain include education and job position.
3. Most communities across Canada will include a number of resources that can be readily accessed as part of a "Social Prescription".
1. Incorporating social work support at an early stage may have the potential to improve treatment compliance and outcomes for those low back pain patients who have notable challenges related to the social determinants of health.
2. Well validated and easily utilized screening tools already exist for the routine screening of social determinants of health.
3. Sleep disorders are shown to affect nearly half of all people reporting chronic pain, with a bidirectional relationship.
Proper patient selection and pre-operative optimization of all modifiable factors improve outcomes and decrease the possibility of FBSS.
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Athletes and their Hearts: What the Primary Care Physician Should Recognize

Teaser: 

Dr. Marina Abdel Malak

is a Family Medicine Resident at the University of Toronto. She graduated and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and went on to study Medicine. She has a passion for medical education, patient empowerment, and increasing awareness about the relationship between mental, emotional, and physical health.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: Physicians will undoubtedly follow athletic patients in their practice, and must therefore be aware of the cardiac adaptations that occur in these patients. Athletic heart syndrome (AHS) is a term used to describe the physiologic adaptation (leading to cardiac hypertrophy and/or dilation) that the heart undergoes in response to intense physical activity. Although these are adaptive responses, physicians need to ensure that these changes are not due to pathological causes such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, other genetic or congenital disorders, etc. To do so, physicians must take a through history from the athlete (including family history), conduct a physical exam, and order investigations (such as ECGs, an echocardiograph, etc.) as appropriate. If a pathologic cause is not identified and AHS is noted to be the sole cause of these changes, the athlete should still be counselled on how to safely participate in physical activity.
Key Words: Athletes, cardiovascular care, sports medicine, primary care, screening.
Athletic heart syndrome (AHS) is a physiologic adaptation hypertrophy and/or dilation of the heart that allows for increased stroke volume, decreased heart rate, and increased blood flow and oxygen delivery
The hypertrophy and/or dilation that occurs in AHS can mimic serious illnesses that must be ruled out
To differentiate between AHS and pathological causes of AHS, the physician should take a history and conduct a physical exam. Echocardiography and an ECG are also important
A family history of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a 'red flag' that must be investigated further
Inquire and investigate for symptoms such as syncope, shortness of breath, connective tissue changes, lab abnormalities, etc. It is important to keep the differential diagnosis broad to ensure a serious cardiovascular condition isn't missed
An echocardiogram should be ordered to assess cardiac function and look for structural changes in the heart
When other causes have been ruled out, AHS may be diagnosed. Although this is not inherently dangerous in itself, all athletes engaging in strenuous activity require counselling and advice around warming up, pacing activity, etc.
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The Role of Screening and Brace Management for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Teaser: 

Kedar Padhye, MBBS, DNB (Ortho), 1Reza Ojaghi, MD, 2Fábio Ferri-de-Barros, MD, MSc, FSBOT, FSBOP (Hon.), FRCSC, FCS(ECSA),3

1 Clinical Fellow (Pediatric Spine Surgery)Division of Paediatric Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.
2Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, Department of Orthopedics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.
3 Department of Orthopedics, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is defined as curvature of spine in the coronal plane with a Cobb angle of more than 10°. AIS affects 1-3% of children younger than 16 years of age. Less than 20% of those children will progress to severe deformity requiring interventions. Screening with clinical examination and selective radiographic assessment seems to be a cost-effective approach to filter specialist referrals but current literature is controversial. Evidence supports brace management of AIS for skeletally immature patients with primary scoliosis measuring 25°–40. The risk reduction for progression to the surgical range (deformity greater than 50 degrees) is 56%. Timely diagnosis and evidence-based brace management of AIS seem likely to reduce the surgical burden. The implementation of screening guidelines at the primary care level is a critical step.
Key Words: scoliosis; idiopathic; Brace treatment; conservative treatment; screening.

Members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada may claim MAINPRO-M2 Credits for this unaccredited educational program.

www.cfpc.ca/Mainpro_M2

You can take quizzes without subscribing; however, your results will not be stored. Subscribers will have access to their quiz results for future reference.

Bracing is an effective but time sensitive intervention for managing AIS in skeletally immature patients with primary scoliosis measuring 25 to 40 degrees.
Clinical screening is required to identify AIS patients who eligible for bracing.
Improving access to bracing for eligible patients requires a collaborative approach involving primary care physicians and specialists.
1. A systematic collaborative approach involving primary care physicians for screening patients and referring to tertiary care ensures timely assessment and management for eligible patients.
2. Evidence supports brace management of AIS for skeletally immature patients with primary scoliosisl measuring 25°–40°, with the goal of preventing deformity progression to the surgical threshold.
3. A full time (18-23h/day) rigid brace treatment may mitigate the surgical burden of AIS by approximately 30%.
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The Need for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening: A Wake-Up Call to Physicians

Teaser: 

Sharon A. Chung, PhD1and Colin M. Shapiro, MBBCh, PhD, MRCPsych, FRCP(C)1-3

1Youthdale Treatment Centres, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2International Sleep Clinic, Parry Sound, Canada and the 3University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry, Canada.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), where patients stop breathing numerous times during sleep, is a disorder linked to serious medical, socioeconomic, and psychological morbidity, yet most patients with OSA remain undetected. Physicians should consider symptoms of frequent/loud snoring, complaints of daytime sleepiness or fatigue, high blood pressure and obesity or excessive body fat distribution in the neck or upper chest area as possible indications of untreated OSA.
Key Words: obstructive sleep apnea, screening, management.
Untreated OSA is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and results in increased healthcare utilization.
OSA is more prevalent in individuals with a chronic medical illness.
Almost 90% of individuals with OSA remain undiagnosed.
Treatment of OSA improves medical outcome; this is particularly relevant in medically ill patients.
Evidence-based medicine supports screening for OSA as part of routine clinical care.
Newer technology allows doctors to 'skip the waiting line' and obtain quick and accurate sleep testing for their patients.
To have access to full article that these tools were developed for, please subscribe. The cost to subscribe is $80 USD per year and you will gain full access to all the premium content on www.healthplexus.net, an educational portal, that hosts 1000s of clinical reviews, case studies, educational visual aids and more as well as within the mobile app.
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Identification of Potential or Preclinical Cognitive Impairment and the Implications of Sophisticated Screening with Biomarkers and Cognitive Testing

Identification of Potential or Preclinical Cognitive Impairment and the Implications of Sophisticated Screening with Biomarkers and Cognitive Testing

Teaser: 

Dr.Michael Gordon Michael Gordon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Medical Program Director, Palliative Care, Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System, Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

The last decade has seen an enormous growth in the interest in the recognition of and intervention in those diagnosed and living with the whole range of cognitive impairment and frank dementia. In the western world, the recognition of the impact on patients, families, health care systems, and societies that dementia poses has led to great efforts to help define the indicators for current and future dementia with the intention to treat those already afflicted even with the primarily symptomatic medications that exist and to recognize those at future risk with the hope of providing counselling to forestall its future development. The idea of "early diagnosis" appears at first glance to be attractive for the purposes of future planning and research studies, but it is not clear what the benefits and risks might be if screening processes define people at risk when beneficial interventions might not yet be determined. The ethical as well as financial implications must be explored and defined before implementation of such screening becomes a normal standard of practice.practice.
Key Words: cognitive impairment, dementia, screening, biomarkers, cognitive testing.

Management of Primary Colon Cancer in Older Adults

Management of Primary Colon Cancer in Older Adults

Teaser: 

Robin McLeod, MD, Division of General Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto; Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Zane Cohen Digestive Diseases Clinical Research Centre; Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON.
Selina Schmocker, Zane Cohen Digestive Diseases Clinical Research Centre; Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON.
Erin Kennedy, MD, PhD, Division of General Surgery, University Health Network, University of Toronto; Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto; Zane Cohen Digestive Diseases Clinical Research Centre; Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, and more than half of those newly diagnosed with colon cancer are over the age of 70 years. Despite the large proportion of patients over the age of 70 diagnosed with colon cancer annually, this age group is significantly underrepresented in clinical trials and, therefore, there is little high-quality evidence on which to base treatment decisions or treatment guidelines. This article reviews the management of primary colon cancer in older adults, including screening, presentation and diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up in this population.
Key words: colon cancer, colorectal cancer, screening, tumour, older adults.

Dr. Anne Horgan and Dr. Shabbir Alibhai share their views on the current status of research in Colorectal Cancer

Dr. Anne Horgan and Dr. Shabbir Alibhai share their views on the current status of research in Colorectal Cancer

Teaser: 
The incidence of colorectal cancer increases with age, with approximately 60% of patients in the US (and similar numbers in Canada) older than 65 years at diagnosis and 40% over the age of 75. As highlighted by McLeod et al in this issue, the management of older patients with colorectal cancer is challenging. The prevailing difficulty is the lack of randomized trial data to support and guide treatment decisions. Pivotal trials establishing the standard of care for this disease have tended to enroll younger patients. For example, the median age of patients enrolled in phase III studies of systemic chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer is commonly 60-64 years,1,2 with fewer than 20% of patients being 70 years and older. In the large colorectal screening studies, older patients are again under-represented, with only 15-17% of randomized patients being 70 years or older.3, 4 Similarly, elderly patients are less likely to be enrolled in surgical trials than younger patients.5 With this absence of prospective data, evidence regarding safety and efficacy of interventions in older patients with colorectal cancer has come mainly from subgroup analyses or meta-analyses of large randomized clinical trials, both in the adjuvant and metastatic disease settings. These analyses suggest that older patients gain similar benefit from chemotherapy as do younger patients, with little difference in the rates of severe toxicity.6 This should be reassuring to clinicians.  The relation between age and outcomes from colorectal cancer surgery is more complex, however. Poorer outcomes in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality are reported with increasing age, but these are confounded by presentation with more advanced disease stage, a greater frequency of emergency surgery and fewer curative surgeries compared to younger patients.7 All of these analyses suffer from selection bias with patients in these studies generally being fit and of good performance status. Data from randomized studies will ultimately help optimize management of older patients with colorectal cancer. However, careful consideration should be given to the design of these studies.  A growing appreciation of the heterogeneity of this patient population has led to a better understanding and use of geriatric specific assessments. These assessments which evaluate functional status, comorbid medical conditions, cognitive function, psychological state, and social supports may have value in predicting postoperative complications following surgery and may help better predict tolerance to systemic therapies. Incorporation of these assessments into both the clinical trial setting and daily clinical practice is encouraged but challenging due to time constraints in busy practices. Identifying elder-specific clinical predictors of tolerability to various interventions will ultimately lead to a more tailored approach for these patients. The essential principles of managing colon cancer in the elderly are the same as in younger patients, however, as the authors state, an individualized approach is necessary. Frameworks for determining a patient’s remaining life-expectancy, risks of toxicities and operative complications, and quality of life issues must be developed and should ultimately underlie these individualized decisions. No competing financial interests declared. References: 1.    Goldberg RM, Sargent DJ, Morton RF et al. A randomized controlled trial of fluorouracil plus leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin combinations in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer. J Clin Oncol 2004; 22: 23-30. 2.    Seymour MT, Maughan TS, Ledermann JA et al. Different strategies of sequential and combination chemotherapy for patients with poor prognosis advanced colorectal cancer (MRC FOCUS): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2007; 370: 143-152. 3.    Hardcastle JD, Chamberlain JO, Robinson MH et al. Randomised controlled trial of faecal-occult-blood screening for colorectal cancer. Lancet 1996; 348: 1472-1477. 4.    Mandel JS, Bond JH, Church TR et al. Reducing mortality from colorectal cancer by screening for fecal occult blood. Minnesota Colon Cancer Control Study. N Engl J Med 1993; 328: 1365-1371. 5.    Stewart JH, Bertoni AG, Staten JL et al. Participation in surgical oncology clinical trials: gender-, race/ethnicity-, and age-based disparities. Ann Surg Oncol 2007; 14: 3328-3334. 6.    Kumar A, Soares HP, Balducci L, Djulbegovic B. Treatment tolerance and efficacy in geriatric oncology: a systematic review of phase III randomized trials conducted by five National Cancer Institute-sponsored cooperative groups. J Clin Oncol 2007; 25: 1272-1276. 7.    Surgery for colorectal cancer in elderly patients: a systematic review. Colorectal Cancer Collaborative Group. Lancet 2000; 356: 968-974.

Osteoporosis Screening and Assessment of Fracture Risk

Osteoporosis Screening and Assessment of Fracture Risk

Teaser: 


Mohammed O. Rahman, BHSc student, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Aliya Khan, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FACE, Professor of Clinical Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Director, Calcium Disorders Clinic, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton; Director, Oakville Bone Center, Oakville, ON.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by impaired bone strength and an increased risk of fragility fracture. Effective screening should be aimed at evaluating risk factors for osteoporosis with identification of individuals at risk, allowing for intervention prior to fragility fracture. This article presents an overview of the risk factors for fracture in men and women and the integration of these factors in various models, enabling an assessment of the 10-year fracture risk. Through effective screening, early identification, and early intervention with pharmacological therapy of osteoporosis, significant impact can be made on reducing fragility fracture incidence, thereby alleviating the economic and clinical costs to our health care system.
Key words: osteoporosis, screening, risk factors, diagnosis, FRAX.

Psychosocial Oncology for Older Adults in the Primary Care Physician’s Office

Psychosocial Oncology for Older Adults in the Primary Care Physician’s Office

Teaser: 

Bejoy C. Thomas, PhD, Department of Psychosocial Resources, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Alberta Cancer Board; Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.
Barry D. Bultz, PhD, Department of Psychosocial Resources, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Alberta Cancer Board; Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.

Geriatric care is undoubtedly complex. A cancer diagnosis in itself creates significant concerns, irrespective of age, for the patient, and these concerns may be compounded by stresses related to moving into later life. Despite the scarce literature on geriatric oncology, the numerous challenges are acknowledged. Substantial evidence is offered on the benefits to the patient as well as the treating institution (cost off-sets, for example) on the benefits of psychosocial care. However, psychosocial care does not necessarily begin only at the cancer centre. Screening for the sixth vital sign, emotional distress, should begin at the primary care physician’s office. This not only benefits the primary care practice but also enables the tertiary referral centre to streamline resources to the specific needs of the patient, thereby ultimately improving the patient experience across the disease trajectory.
Key words: geriatric, chronic disease, emotional distress, screening, sixth vital sign.

Update on Prostate Cancer among Older Men

Update on Prostate Cancer among Older Men

Teaser: 

Michel Carmel, MD, FRCSC, Professor, Sherbrooke University; Chair, Division of Urology, CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC.

Prostate cancer is the highest in incidence in Canada, ahead of lung and colon cancers. This is largely due to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. Choosing among management options, including watchful waiting, active surveillance, and surgery, seems more difficult than ever for the patient and his physician as new treatments are emerging, often presented as accepted alternatives, while long-term efficacy and toxicity results are not yet available.
Key words: cancer, prostate, older adults, prostate-specific antigen, screening.