Gastroenterology — MCQs

A 41-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department with the acute-onset of severe abdominal pain for the past 2 hours. She has a history of frequent episodes of vague abdominal pain, but they have never been this severe. Every time she has had pain, it would resolve after eating a meal. Her past medical history is otherwise insignificant. Her vital signs include: blood pressure 121/77 mm Hg, pulse 91/min, respiratory rate 21/min, and temperature 37°C (98.6°F). On examination, her abdomen is flat and rigid. Which of the following is the next best step in evaluating this patient’s discomfort and stomach pain by physical exam?

A 26-year-old white man comes to the physician because of increasing generalized fatigue for 6 months. He has been unable to work out at the gym during this period. He has also had cramping lower abdominal pain and diarrhea for the past 5 weeks that is occasionally bloody. His father was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 65. He has smoked half a pack of cigarettes daily for the past 10 years. He drinks 1–2 beers on social occasions. His temperature is 37.3°C (99.1°F), pulse is 88/min, and blood pressure is 116/74 mm Hg. Physical examination shows dry mucous membranes. The abdomen is soft and nondistended with slight tenderness to palpation over the lower quadrants bilaterally. Rectal examination shows stool mixed with blood. His hemoglobin concentration is 13.5 g/dL, leukocyte count is 7,500/mm3, and platelet count is 480,000/mm3. Urinalysis is within normal limits. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A previously healthy 20-year-old woman comes to the physician because of recurrent abdominal cramps, bloating, and diarrhea for 4 months. She describes her stools as greasy, foul-smelling, and difficult to flush. During this time she has had a 6-kg (13.2-lb) weight loss. She has no personal or family history of serious illness. Physical examination shows pallor and cheilitis. Laboratory studies show a hemoglobin concentration of 11 g/dL. Serum concentrations of electrolytes, urea nitrogen, and creatinine are within the reference range. Test of the stool for occult blood is negative and stool microscopy reveals no pathogens and no leukocytes. Analysis of a 24-hour stool sample shows 12 g of fat. The patient is asked to consume 25 g of d-xylose. Five hours later, its concentration is measured in urine at 2 g (N = > 4 g/5 h). The test is repeated after a two-week course of rifaximin, but the urinary concentration of d-xylose remains the same. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 33-year-old woman presents to her primary care physician for gradually worsening pain in both wrists that began several months ago. The pain originally did not bother her, but it has recently begun to affect her daily functioning. She states that the early morning stiffness in her hands is severe and has made it difficult to tend to her rose garden. She occasionally takes ibuprofen for the pain, but she says this does not really help. Her medical history is significant for diabetes mellitus and major depressive disorder. She is currently taking insulin, sertraline, and a daily multivitamin. The vital signs include: blood pressure 126/84 mm Hg, heart rate 82/min, and temperature 37.0°C (98.6°F). On physical exam, her wrists and metacarpophalangeal joints are swollen, tender, erythematous, and warm to the touch. There are no nodules or vasculitic lesions. Which of the following antibodies would be most specific to this patient’s condition?

A 65-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department by her husband who found her lying unconscious at home. He says that the patient has been complaining of progressively worsening weakness and confusion for the past week. Her past medical history is significant for hypertension, systemic lupus erythematosus, and trigeminal neuralgia. Her medications include metoprolol, valsartan, prednisone, and carbamazepine. On admission, blood pressure is 130/70 mm Hg, pulse rate is 100 /min, respiratory rate is 17/min, and temperature is 36.5°C (97.7ºF). She regained consciousness while on the way to the hospital but is still drowsy and disoriented. Physical examination is normal. Finger-stick glucose level is 110 mg/dl. Other laboratory studies show: Na+ 120 mEq/L (136—145 mEq/L) K+ 3.5 mEq/L (3.5—5.0 mEq/L) CI- 107 mEq/L (95—105 mEq/L) Creatinine 0.8 mg/dL (0.6—1.2 mg/dL) Serum osmolality 250 mOsm/kg (275—295 mOsm/kg) Urine Na+ 70 mEq/L Urine osmolality 350 mOsm/kg She is admitted to the hospital for further management. Which of the following is the next best step in the management of this patient's condition?

A 55-year-old woman presents with fatigue and flu-like symptoms. She says her symptoms started 5 days ago with a low-grade fever and myalgia, which have not improved. For the past 4 days, she has also had chills, sore throat, and rhinorrhea. She works as a kindergarten teacher and says several children in her class have had similar symptoms. Her past medical history is significant for depression managed with escitalopram, and dysmenorrhea. A review of systems is significant for general fatigue for the past 5 months. Her vital signs include: temperature 38.5°C (101.3°F), pulse 99/min, blood pressure 115/75 mm Hg, and respiratory rate 22/min. Physical examination reveals pallor of the mucous membranes. Initial laboratory findings are significant for the following: Hematocrit 24.5% Hemoglobin 11.0 g/dL Platelet Count 215,000/mm3 Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 82 fL Red cell distribution width (RDW) 10.5% Which of the following is the best next diagnostic test in this patient?

A 58-year-old department store manager comes to his doctor’s office complaining that he had recently been waking up in the middle of the night with abdominal pain. This has happened several nights a week in the past month. He has also been experiencing occasional discomfort in the afternoon. The patient's appetite has suffered as a result of the pain he was experiencing. His clothes hang on him loosely. The patient does not take any prescription or over the counter medications. The remainder of the patient’s history and physical exam is completely normal. The doctor refers the patient to a gastroenterologist for a stomach acid test and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy which revealed that this patient is a heavy acid producer and has a gastric peptic ulcer. This ulcer is most likely found in which part of the stomach?

A 72-year-old man presents to the ED complaining of worsening abdominal pain over the last few hours. He also reports nausea, but denies fever, vomiting, or changes in the appearance of his bowel movements. His medical history is significant for type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and peptic ulcer disease. Due to his recurrent bleeding peptic ulcers, he does not take warfarin. His surgical history is significant for an appendectomy as a child. His medications include metformin, lisinopril, metoprolol, and omeprazole. He has a 50-pack-year history of smoking. His temperature is 37.6 C (99.7 F), blood pressure is 146/80 mm Hg, pulse is 115/min, and respiratory rate is 20/min. On physical exam, he is in acute distress due to the pain. Pulmonary auscultation reveals scattered wheezes and decreased air entry. His heart rate is irregularly irregular, with no murmurs, rubs or gallops. Abdominal exam is significant for decreased bowel sounds and diffuse tenderness. Initial laboratory evaluation is as follows: Na 138 mEq/L, Cl 101 mEq/L, HCO3 12 mEq/L, BUN 21 mg/dL, Cr 0.9 mg/dL, glucose 190 mg/dL, amylase 240 U/L (normal < 65 U/L). What is the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

A 23-year-old college senior visits the university health clinic after vomiting large amounts of blood. He has been vomiting for the past 36 hours after celebrating his team’s win at the national hockey championship with his varsity friends while consuming copious amounts of alcohol. His personal medical history is unremarkable. His blood pressure is 129/89 mm Hg while supine and 100/70 mm Hg while standing. His pulse is 98/min, strong and regular, with an oxygen saturation of 98%. His body temperature is 36.5°C (97.7°F), while the rest of the physical exam is normal. Which of the following is associated with this patient’s condition?

A 48-year-old Caucasian woman presents to her physician for an initial visit. She has no chronic diseases. The past medical history is significant for myomectomy performed 10 years ago for a large uterine fibroid. She had 2 uncomplicated pregnancies and 2 spontaneous vaginal deliveries. Currently, she only takes oral contraceptives. She is a former smoker with a 3-pack-year history. Her last Pap test performed 2 years ago was negative. She had a normal blood glucose measurement 3 years ago. The family history is remarkable for systolic hypertension in her mother and older brother. The blood pressure is 110/80 mm Hg, heart rate is 76/min, respirations are 16/min, and oxygen saturation is 99% on room air. The patient is afebrile. The BMI is 32 kg/m2. Her physical examination is unremarkable. Which of the following preventative tests is indicated for this patient at this time?