Controlling cirrhosis, preventing stroke, and more stories

The burden of cirrhosis in the U.S. population has been increasing, with noted disparities by age, sex, and geography. While patients with decompensated disease are usually easy to spot, compensated cirrhosis can sometimes be hiding in plain sight. Our story in this issue takes a look at the most recent data and offers advice on finding and managing cirrhosis, as well as keeping patients out of the hospital and comanaging their care. On a related note, Pearls from I.M. Peers, features a subspecialist's perspective on talking to patients about liver disease.

Another story updates internal medicine physicians on new guidance for preventing stroke, released late last year by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Experts go over the latest on medications, including the potential benefits of glucagon-like protein-1 receptor agonists and the frequent need for two or more drugs to achieve adequate blood pressure control, and sex- and gender-specific risk factors, among other recommendations.

Peer review is an important part of scientific publishing and a great way to boost a CV, but how do you know where to begin? In this issue's I.M. Ready, we get some tips and tricks from Yuri Matusov, MD, FACP, an academic pulmonary and critical care physician and assistant professor of medicine who was an Annals of Internal Medicine editorial fellow last year. His advice? Keep all materials confidential, never contact a manuscript's authors directly, and don't agree to review if you don't really have the time.

With climate change and globalization, vector-borne diseases have made inroads into areas where they might not ever have been seen before. A recent ACP/Annals of Internal Medicine virtual forum gathered experts to review hypothetical cases and discuss the best ways to combat these potential threats. Read our story for more on which conditions to watch out for and why a new player, Oropouche virus, may be a particular cause for concern.

Also in this issue, our preview of ACP's Internal Medicine Meeting 2025 offers a glimpse at the learning and networking opportunities in store next month in New Orleans, while ACP's President discusses how costs of care threaten health and our Chief Advocacy Officer provides perspective on the actions of the incoming administration.

On a lighter note, this issue introduces a new quarterly feature, I.M. Puzzled. Beginning this month and continuing in the June, September, and November/December issues, we'll offer medically themed crossword puzzles to tease your brain and test your knowledge. Let us know what you think.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Kearney-Strouse
Executive Editor