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September 2008 — Systemic Lupus 
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, there are approximately one million Americans with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Diagnosis of this disease can be difficult; indeed, a survey conducted by the foundation found that more than half of those afflicted with lupus suffered for at least four years, and saw three or more doctors, before obtaining a correct diagnosis of lupus. For some people, only the skin and joints will be involved. In others, the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood, or other organs and/or tissues may be affected. Further complicating diagnosis is the rarity of any two people with SLE having identical symptoms. The Epocrates Medical Information team invites you to review the latest information on SLE in our new online reference. See the complete monograph for systemic lupus erythematosus. The new Epocrates® Online reference features at-a-glance disease overviews, detailed diagnostic and treatment recommendations, and national medical society guidelines. Also in this issue: Please note that the disease content in Epocrates Online is only available in the United States and Canada. |
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Laptop Giveaway! We hope you’re enjoying the new Epocrates Online. As a very special thank you to all our members for their support of this new product, we’re offering a chance to win a great prize this month: an HP Pavilion Notebook and exclusive Epocrates laptop case. Learn more! |
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STAT Cholesterol™ Tool One of Epocrates’ most popular tools! This newly updated application is designed to guide healthcare professionals through the ATP III cholesterol guidelines and assists in the calculation of coronary heart disease.
Available with Epocrates Rx®, Epocrates Rx Pro ®, Epocrates® Essentials, and Epocrates® Essentials Deluxe mobile software on Palm OS. |
Test your knowledge! What is the disease in the image?
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Cancer Screening Update: New USPSTF Prostate Cancer Screening Recommendations Major medical organizations recommend discussing known harms and potential benefits with patients prior to prostate cancer screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently updated their prostate cancer screening guidelines in light of a reexamination of data on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. For men older than age 75, the Task Force concluded that there is sufficient evidence to recommend against screening. They cited harms related to prostate biopsy as well as treatment-related harms including erectile dysfunction, incontinence and death. About a third of men in the U.S. over age 75 are receiving PSA testing. For men under 75, they concluded there is insufficient evidence to weight the balance of benefits and harms of screening. Ongoing studies in the US and Europe may settle the controversy. The Value of Alarm Symptoms in Colon Cancer A recent British Medical Journal report explores whether alarm symptoms such as changed bowel habits, weight loss, anemia, and rectal bleeding correlate with the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The analysis of 15 studies involving 19,443 patients with lower GI symptoms showed a pooled prevalence of colorectal carcinoma at 6% (95% CI 5-8%). The sensitivity of specific alarm features was poor (5% to 64%) but specificity was greater than 95% for two features: dark red rectal bleeding, abdominal mass. In contrast, statistical models (age, family history) had a sensitivity of 90%, but poor specificity.
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Download messages like these when you update (sync) your handheld application. Learn More |
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Diabetes Management Tool This handy tool features a specific algorithm for the management of hyperglycemia based on A1C results and a step-by-step insulin management algorithm. You’ll also find the advantages and disadvantages of specific interventions as monotherapy. The tool is based on the 2006 American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes consensus algorithm.
Available with Epocrates Rx®, Epocrates Rx Pro ®, Epocrates® Essentials, and Epocrates® Essentials Deluxe mobile software on Palm OS. Patient Snapshot Epocrates Patient Snapshot sourced from Google Health is a new free service that enables physicians to view their patients’ Google Health profile. Google Health allows patients to enter health information about themselves as well as to import health records from certain healthcare organizations that have partnered with Google. Using this web application, once a patient has authorized his or her physician to view their profile, a physician can use the data to monitor a patient’s health and confirm that the patient’s actions are consistent with the health plan that the physician has set out for the patient. If you are a physician based in the United States and would like to learn more, go to www.epocrates.com/patientsnapshot. Special Offer Through September 30, purchase a Palm Centro with Epocrates software for as little as $329 and you'll also get a 2 GB memory card and free shipping! The NEW Palm Centro bundle gives you access to Epocrates software, voice, text, IM, email and web with a touch screen and full keyboard. Plus, it’s all in a phone that's a lot smaller than you think with a price to match.
Upcoming Meetings — Meet the Epocrates Team! American Academy of Family Physicians: September 18-20 – San Diego, CA Updates at a Glance
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Attention iPhone users! Sync today for current Epocrates content. We’ve had many iPhone users ask us how to they can update their Epocrates software. Since the Epocrates Medical Information Editors revise hundreds of monographs in a typical month, we recommend that you update your mobile products at least once per week. That way, you can be confident that you always have the most up-to-the-minute information at your fingertips. All you need to do is tap “Get Epocrates Updates” from the updates screen. It's quick, easy and FREE! For more details |
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We love to hear from our members about Epocrates products, or any other topics. This month, we’d especially like to hear what you think about the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The candidates have very different plans to address the nation’s health care system. What do you think about their plans? Where do you stand? All customers featured in the newsletter will receive a free subscription to Epocrates Essentials Deluxe.
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