Jennifer E. Thorne, MD, PhD(1,2)Fasika A. Woreta, MD, MPH(1)Douglas A. Jabs, MD, MBA(1,2,3)Grant J. Anhalt, MD(4) Received 5 March 2008; received in revised form 3 June 2008; accepted 1 August 2008. published online 20 October 2008 Purpose To evaluate the…

The costs of medication are high and many people have trouble paying for them if they don’t have medical insurance. You need to take your medication exactly as your doctor wants you to. Skipping doses or reducing doses on your…

The area around a wound must be kept clean and reasonably moist. When the dressings are dirty, they need to be replaced promptly. Leaving bandages on too long can slow the healing process and encourage infection. Replace any dressing when…

Reports are that immunosuppressed patients have a higher risk for infection, but the frequency of colds and flu should not be much elevated. Patients should tell the doctor about chicken pox or tuberculosis (active or not as it could reactivate),…

Prednisone may distort lab tests. Allergy tests and tuberculosis tests will be invalid. Pap smears may be misinterpreted as cervical dysplasia. Test results for tuberculosis and cancer may also be affected. Other medications may also interfere with medical test results. If…