Miller, Nathaniel E.

A healthy 33 year old male presented in December with a 3 week history of fever and fatigue. He had been deer-hunting in northern Minnesota 1 month prior and had sustained a tick bite. Extensive laboratory investigations and a lumbar puncture were conducted. He was empirically with doxycycline and had rapid improvement in his symptoms. Subsequently, PCR and serologic testing returned positive for Anaplasma phagocytophlium. Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and is typically seen in the warmer months. This patient’s presentation in December was uncommon for a tick-borne illness in Minnesota. Regional weather records demonstrated unseasonably warm temperatures during the patient’s trip. Ixodes ticks are known to be sensitive to temperature and humidity, which likely contributed to increased tick activity, leading to disease transmission. This case highlights the importance for clinicians to be aware of local weather patterns and how this might influence seasonal disease presentations.

A woman in her late fifties was admitted to the Family Medicine Inpatient Service directly from Rheumatology clinic for polyarticular pain and erythema with concern for infection. She was taking immunosuppressant medications for a history of multiple autoimmune diseases. Examination showed increasing erythema and tenderness on the upper and lower extremity joints. Histologic evaluation, surgical evaluation, and cultures were consistent with mycobacterium haemophilum infection. Mycobacterium haemophilum is an uncommon opportunistic infection that usually affects immunocompromised patients. The patient was treated with a multi-drug antibiotic regimen for several months due to drug resistance. Although this opportunistic infection is not common it should be considered in the differential of immunocompromised patients with skin and articular symptoms. Treatment outcomes are usually favorable if it caught earlier in the course.

Introduction Acute sore throat is a common complaint traditionally completed with an in-person visit. However, non-face-to-face telemedicine visits offer greater access at reduced cost. We evaluated patient/caregiver asynchronous text-based electronic visits (eVisits) for acute sore throat and whether there was concordance for individual components and total McIsaac score compared to a clinician’s assessment. eVisits were completed by patients and/or their caregivers via a secure patient portal. Methods In this retrospective study, we manually reviewed charts between February 2017 and July 2019 of patients who had an eVisit, in-person visit and group A streptococcal (GAS) test performed on the same day for an acute sore throat. We calculated a McIsaac score for eVisits and in-person visits, and compared each component and total score using Cohen’s kappa agreement statistic. Results There were 320 instances of patients who had an eVisit, in-person visit and GAS testing done on the same day. Approximately a third of eVisits were missing at least one McIsaac component, with the physical examination elements missing most commonly. Individual score congruence was moderate for cough (0.41), fair for fever (0.34) and slight for tonsillar swelling/exudate and lymphadenopathy (0.17 and 0.08, respectively), with total congruence being slight to fair (0.09–0.37). A McIsaac score of ≤1 showed moderate agreement (0.44). Visits with complete individual score components demonstrated improved congruence: substantial for cough (0.64), moderate for fever (0.57), fair for tonsillar swelling (0.3) and slight for lymphadenopathy (0.13). Discussion Overall agreement for individual score components was better for symptoms than it was for examination components, and was improved when data were complete. A McIsaac score of 1 or 0 had moderate agreement and thus could reasonably be safely used to exclude patients from GAS testing.

Background and Objectives: Teaching medical students patient-centered approaches to weight loss counseling occurs in myriad ways. We examined lectures and direct faculty observation to see which was associated with better patient-centered care in medical students, measured by both self-perception and independent observer evaluation. Methods: Third- and fourth-year students attending one medical school were surveyed regarding their education in (1) weight loss and health behavior counseling, (2) obesity stigma, and (3) whether they had experienced direct faculty observation of their weight loss counseling. Several weeks later, the students were observed during a standardized patient encounter for obesity and an obesity-relevant comorbidity. A postencounter survey assessed overall student satisfaction with the encounter and with the care they provided. Independent coders rated their patient-centered communication using a validated measure. Results: There was no consistent association between any dependent variable and student ratings of adequacy of instruction, nor with instructional content. Direct faculty observation was not associated with overall encounter satisfaction or their overall patient-centeredness. However, experiences with direct faculty observation were significantly and positively associated with students’ perceptions of patient engagement (b=0.1, P=.05), and with independent coders’ ratings of student friendliness (b=0.13, P=.01), responsiveness (b=0.113, P=.03), and lower student anxiety (b=-0.1, P=.01). Conclusions: Independent observation and self-report of instruction adequacy and content had no consistent association with care quality. However, direct faculty observation predicted improvement in both student self-reports and independent observer ratings of students’ interpersonal quality of care. Further work is needed to define optimal methods of imparting patient-centered care.

An elderly woman was admitted to the Family Medicine inpatient service for altered mental status after being brought to the emergency room by a concerned neighbor, who had come across the patient speaking incoherently. Initial evaluation was notable for elevated blood pressures, but extensive lab testing and head computed tomographic imaging were within normal limits. However, subsequent magnetic resonance imaging showed white matter changes consistent with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), a neurologic syndrome characterized by headache, altered mental status, loss of vision, and seizures as well as radiographic findings of posterior cerebral white matter edema. Multiple etiologies of PRES have been described and include hypertensive encephalopathy, immunosuppressant medications, and eclampsia. This case describes an episode of PRES secondary to hypertensive encephalopathy brought about by an inappropriate dose of a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor. The patient had significant improvement in symptoms with removal of the offending agent and control of her blood pressure. While PRES generally has a good prognosis, prompt recognition, and management are important in preventing significant disease morbidity and mortality.

Background: Depression is common in the primary care setting and tobacco use is more prevalent among individuals with depression. Recent research has linked smoking to poorer outcomes of depression treatment. We hypothesized that in adult primary care patients with the diagnosis of depression, current smoking would have a negative impact on clinical outcomes, regardless of treatment type (usual primary care [UC] vs collaborative care management [CCM]). Methods: A retrospective chart review study of 5155 adult primary care patients with depression in a primary care practice in southeast Minnesota was completed. Variables obtained included age, gender, marital status, race, smoking status, initial Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9), and 6-month PHQ-9. Clinical remission (CR) was defined as 6-month PHQ-9 <5. Persistent depressive symptoms (PDS) were defined as PHQ-9 ≥10 at 6 months. Treatment in both CCM and UC were compared. Results: Using intention to treat analysis, depressed smokers treated with CCM were 4.60 times as likely (95% CI 3.24-6.52, P < .001) to reach CR and were significantly less likely to have PDS at 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.19, 95% CI 0.14-0.25, P < .001) compared with smokers in UC. After a 6-month follow-up, depressed smokers treated with CCM were 1.75 times as likely (95% CI 1.18-2.59, P = .006) to reach CR and were significantly less likely to have PDS (AOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.31-0.64, P < .001) compared with smokers in UC. Conclusions: CCM significantly improved depression outcomes for smokers at 6 months compared with UC. However, in the UC group, smoking outcomes were not statistically different at 6 months for either remission or PDS. Also, nonsmokers in CCM had the best clinical outcomes at 6 months in both achieving clinical remission and reduction of PDS when compared with smokers in UC as the reference group.

A 19-year-old male presented to the clinic and was found to be prehypertensive and have proteinuria on urine testing. He was subsequently diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Initial workup for pediatric hypertension includes urinalysis, chemistry panel, lipid panel, and renal ultrasound. Abnormalities on urinalysis, including proteinuria, hypercholesterolemia, and low serum albumin in children are characteristic of nephrotic disease. FSGS is a type of kidney pathology that often contributes to nephrotic disease and results from a variety of causes. For the primary care provider, being aware of the guidelines for pediatric hypertension screening and evaluation is important as 20% of children with hypertensive disease are due to kidney disease. FSGS is the third leading cause of end-stage renal disease in children aged 12 to 19 years, and its incidence was found to be rising in a study of Olmsted County, MN residents. Treatment to complete or partial remission of the proteinuria can slow the progression of renal disease. In this case report, we will discuss the evaluation of pediatric hypertension workup with proteinuria, specifically due to FSGS, and review current management strategies.