The Journal of family practice
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People aged 65 years and over make up the fastest growing demographic in the United States. By the year 2040 they will comprise approximately one fourth of the US population. ⋯ Practice standards must include a thorough pain assessment and formation of a multimodal care plan, which applies knowledge of pain management in an objective and scientific manner. In this article, a patient case study illustrates how the appropriate management of chronic pain in an elderly patient can lead to better clinical outcomes.
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Diabetes affects about 7% of the US population with more than 90% of cases being type 2 diabetes mellitus. In 2005, this translated into nearly 21 million Americans with diabetes. Whereas Americans from all ethnic and cultural groups are affected, minority populations are disproportionately affected. ⋯ The National Institutes of Health reports that American Indians and Native Alaskans are 2.2 times more likely to have the disease than are non-Hispanic whites. Furthermore, studies using glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) as a marker have shown that Latino Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans have poorer control of their diabetes. In a study by Brown and colleagues, mean A1C levels were higher among Latino Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders than among white Americans.