Highlights

Overdiagnosis of asthma

A third of Canadians whose asthma had been diagnosed by a physician do not have asthma. Aaron and colleagues came to this conclusion from their longitudinal study involving 496 people said to have asthma by their physicians. See Research, page 1121

Asthma in Chinese adolescents

Symptoms of asthma in Chinese adolescents were lowest among those living in mainland China, were greater for those in Hong Kong and were highest among those born in Canada. These findings suggest that asthma is influenced by environmental factors as well as genetic ones, say Wang and colleagues. See Research, page 1133

Spirometry and asthma

All patients suspected of having asthma should have the diagnosis confirmed by spirometry, say Stanbrook and Kaplan. Primary care physicians should not rely on laboratories in tertiary care centres to provide spirometry. Instead, physicians need to make testing available in their own offices. See Editorial, page 1099

Supervised injection facility

Vancouver's supervised injection facility can improve health largely by averting HIV infections and can save money, say Bayoumi and Zaric, who carried out a modelling study. See Research, page 1143

Some of the assumptions in the model used by Bayoumi and Zaric are questionable, say Des Jarlais and colleagues. Despite this reservation, they believe that the supervised injection facility is likely to save money. See Commentary, page 1105

Chronic kidney disease

The Canadian Society of Nephrology has issued guidelines for the management of chronic kidney disease that aim to facilitate shared care for these patients by general practitioners and specialists. See Review, page 1154

Chronic kidney disease is recognized as a heterogeneous condition whose clinical course varies according to the underlying cause, comorbid conditions and the rate of loss of renal function. See Commentary, page 1107

Cancer in Canada

Marrett and colleagues discuss the changing size and nature of the burden of cancer in Canada, as reported in Canadian Cancer Statistics 2008. See Analysis, page 1163

Pink papules with porcelain-white scars

What is the cause of pink papules with central porcelain-white atrophic scars that developed over 2 years on the abdomen, back and thighs of a 61-year-old woman? See Practice, page 1171

Bipartite patella

A smooth, regular, semilunar radiolucent defect at the upper pole of each patella shown in the radiograph of a 40-year-old woman's knees is due to a developmental variation. See Clinical images, page 1227

Health professionals in parliament

The medical and health professions will be sparsely represented in Canada's 40th Parliament. See News, page 1114