Atypical Presentations

Atypical Presentations

Welcome to the first Editor’s Page in Annals of Long-Term Care (ALTC)! Every month, you can turn to this page to find out more about what’s inside the issue and about other ALTC happenings As you peruse this month’s issue, you will likely notice that it is a bit atypical. We have made a few design tweaks and have also added a department we’ve dubbed LTC Bulletin Board (page 25). This section is intended to keep you apprised of news and resources that may affect the long-term care (LTC) community.

ALTC readers will also have the opportunity to win a copy of Long-Term Care Medicine: A Pocket Guide, which is outlined in this section and due to be published in December by Humana Press. To be entered into the drawing, you just need to let us know which LTC topics you are most interested in reading about or what we can do to improve the journal; turn to page 45 for more details. One thing that has not changed is our commitment to bringing you timely and clinically relevant articles. This month’s issue features two case reports on tuberculosis (TB). While there has been recent development in the TB diagnostics arena, considerable progress is still needed overall. “Difficulties in Diagnosing Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Older Patients” (page 22) reviews extrapulmonary TB, focusing on TB meningitis, whereas the second article, “Testing For Latent Tuberculosis and Performing Contact Investigation in the Nursing Home” (page 34), discusses the various testing modalities that are available to diagnose TB and conduct contact investigations. Both of these articles provide case presentations that serve to highlight the diagnostic challenges faced by healthcare providers caring for LTC residents, such as atypical presentations among older patients and TB testing limitations.

This month’s issue also includes two review articles. “Acknowledging, Recognizing, and Treating Depression in Elderly Long-Term Care Residents” (page 30) reminds us that depression may also manifest atypically in elderly patients and outlines how healthcare providers can identify and treat LTC residents who are found to have depression. “Vitamin D: It Does a Body Good” (page 39) reviews the latest research on vitamin D and discusses how a deficiency can increase the risk of chronic illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, and may affect the immune system, hindering the ability of the body to destroy pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Vitamin D deficiency may also increase the risk of falls, which may be especially dangerous for LTC residents. I would also like to welcome Christina Loguidice to the ALTC team. She became the journal’s editorial director in September.

Christina managed several peer-reviewed publications before coming to ALTC, including in the surgery, cardiology, and primary care arena, and brings experience and new ideas to the publication. Christina replaces Margie Schulz, who provided expert editorial leadership for ALTC for 13 years. Let us know what you think of this month’s issue by sending your thoughts to ALTCEditors@hmpcommunications.com. We are also always interested in receiving your submissions. See our author guidelines online at https://www.managedhealthcareconnect.com/content/author-guidelines. Thank you for reading! Gregg Warshaw, MD Medical Editor