Annals of internal medicine
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Rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity (SMM) are higher in the United States than in other high-resource countries and are increasing further. ⋯ National Institutes of Health.
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Recent clinical trials suggest that treating patients with hypertension to lower blood pressure (BP) targets improves cardiovascular outcomes. ⋯ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.
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Early prenatal care is vital for improving maternal health outcomes and health behaviors, but medically vulnerable and underserved populations are less likely to begin prenatal care in the first trimester. In 2017, the Health Center Program provided safety-net care to more than 27 million persons, including 573 026 prenatal patients, at approximately 12 000 sites across the United States and U.S. jurisdictions. As part of a mandatory reporting requirement, health centers tracked whether patients initiated prenatal care in their first trimester of pregnancy. ⋯ Health Resources and Services Administration.
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In January 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) approved a joint clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of hypertension in the primary care setting. ⋯ This synopsis summarizes key features of the guideline in several key areas: the measurement of blood pressure, the definition of hypertension, target treatment goals, and nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment of essential and resistant hypertension.
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Low-dose glucocorticoids are frequently used for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other chronic conditions, but the safety of long-term use remains uncertain. ⋯ National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.