Many biological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors may contribute to the delay or prevention of cognitive decline.

Experts recommend opioid treatment agreements and urine drug testing to reduce opioid analgesia misuse, but evidence of their effectiveness has not been systematically reviewed.

Case-fatality rates are important for assessing the risks and benefits of anticoagulation in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Lactose intolerance resulting in gastrointestinal symptoms is a common health concern. Diagnosis and management of this condition remain unclear.

National guideline groups recommend screening and discussion of screening options for persons at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, emerging evidence suggests that CRC screening is simultaneously underused, overused, and misused and that adequate patient-provider discussions about screening are infrequent.

Early recognition and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is important to prevent irreversible joint damage. Anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) have been suggested for early diagnosis.

Women treated with therapeutic chest radiation may develop breast cancer.

Vitamin D and calcium may affect the cardiovascular system independently and interactively.

Vitamin D may modify risk for cardiometabolic outcomes (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease).

The Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) is widely used to predict perioperative cardiac complications.

Patients with ischemic heart disease and preserved ventricular function experience considerable morbidity and mortality despite standard medical therapy.

Most women undergoing breast biopsy are found not to have cancer.

In primary care settings, prevalence estimates of major depressive disorder range from 5% to 13% in all adults, with lower estimates in those older than 55 years (6% to 9%). In 2002, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening adults for depression in clinical practices that have systems to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and follow-up.

This systematic review is an update of evidence since the 2002 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on breast cancer screening.

Trials demonstrate the efficacy of medications to reduce the risk for invasive breast cancer.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual disorder. The relative benefits and harms of pharmacologic therapies for ED, as well as the value of hormonal testing in men with ED, are uncertain.

Intravenous sodium bicarbonate has been proposed to reduce the risk for contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN).

Statin therapy effectively prevents vascular disease, but treatment targets are often not achieved.

The usefulness of routinely examining family history in primary care practice is uncertain.

National Institutes of Health consensus and state-of-the science statements are prepared by independent panels of health professionals and public representatives on the basis of 1) the results of a systematic literature review prepared under contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); 2) presentations by investigators working in areas relevant to the conference questions during a 2-day public session; 3) questions and statements from conference attendees during open discussion periods that are part of the public session; and 4) closed deliberations by the panel during the remainder of the second day and morning of the third. This statement is an independent report of the panel and is not a policy statement of the National Institutes of Health or the U.S. government. The statement reflects the panel's assessment of medical knowledge available at the time the statement was written. Thus, it provides a "snapshot in time" of the state of knowledge on the conference topic. When reading the statement, keep in mind that new knowledge is inevitably accumulating through medical research.