Gastroenterology — MCQs

A 57-year-old woman presents to her primary care physician with a chief complaint of epigastric pain that has worsened over the past three weeks. She describes it as sudden “gnawing” sensations that last for up to half a minute before subsiding. She finds some relief after a glass of water, but does not associate relief or exacerbation around mealtimes. The patient denies any radiation of the pain, fever, weight loss, fatigue, or change in stool color and quality. She does not take any medications, and says her diet includes lots of spicy and smoked foods. The physician refers her for an upper endoscopy, which reveals evidence of duodenal ulcers and mild gastroesophageal reflux. The pathology report reveals focal intestinal metaplasia and gastric dysplasia in the stomach, but no Helicobacter pylori infection. How should the physician advise this patient?

A 60-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of recurrent episodes of fatigue, palpitations, nausea, and diaphoresis over the past 6 months. The episodes have become more frequent in the last 2 weeks and he has missed work several times because of them. His symptoms usually improve after he drinks some juice and rests. He has had a 2-kg (4.5-lb) weight gain in the past 6 months. He has a history of bipolar disorder, hypertension, and asthma. His sister has type 2 diabetes mellitus and his mother has a history of medullary thyroid carcinoma. His medications include lithium, hydrochlorothiazide, aspirin, and a budesonide inhaler. His temperature is 36.3°C (97.3°F), pulse is 92/min and regular, respirations are 20/min, and blood pressure is 118/65 mm Hg. Abdominal examination shows no abnormalities. Serum studies show: Na+ 145 mEq/L K+ 3.9 mEq/L Cl- 103 mEq/L Calcium 9.2 mg/dL Glucose 88 mg/dL Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in diagnosis?

A 34-year-old man presents with dysphagia. The patient says that he has pain on swallowing which gradually onset 2 weeks ago and has not improved. He denies any change in diet but does say that he recently returned from a prolonged work trip to the Caribbean. No significant past medical history or current medications. On physical examination, the patient looks pale. His tongue is swollen and has a beefy, red appearance. Angular stomatitis is present. Laboratory findings are significant for macrocytic, megaloblastic anemia, decreased serum folate, increased serum homocysteine, and normal methylmalonic acid levels. Which of the following conditions most likely caused this patient’s symptoms?

A 45-year-old woman presents to the clinic complaining of weakness that has progressively worsened over the past 2 weeks. She states that she has a hard time lifting both her arms but that they function normally. She notes no history of trauma or other deficits. On examination, that patient has 2/5 muscle strength on shoulder shrug and arm abduction bilaterally, but all other neurological exam findings are normal. You notice some skin changes and ask the patient about them. She states that she has had a rash around her eyes as well as on her lower face, going down to her neck and chest. She notes that the rashes started around the same time as the weakness began. Labs are drawn and a complete blood count and basic metabolic panel are normal. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A previously healthy 55-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 5-month history of progressively worsening substernal chest pain after meals. The pain occurs almost daily, is worst after eating spicy food or drinking coffee, and often wakes him up from sleep at night. He has not had any weight loss. He has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 35 years and he drinks 1 to 2 glasses of wine daily with dinner. Physical examination is unremarkable. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy shows erythema of the distal esophagus with two small mucosal erosions. Biopsy specimens obtained from the esophagus show no evidence of metaplasia. Without treatment, this patient is at greatest risk for which of the following complications?

A 78-year-old woman presents with difficulty swallowing and retrosternal chest pain for the past couple of weeks. She says the pain radiates to the epigastric region and increases whenever she eats or drinks anything. She says the pain is not aggravated by exertion, and she denies any shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, cough, sore throat, weight loss, or melena. She also denies any similar symptoms in the past. Past medical history is significant for hypertension, osteoporosis, stress incontinence, and a cataract in the left eye for which she underwent surgery 2 years ago. She is currently taking rosuvastatin, enalapril, risedronate, and oxybutynin. The patient denies any smoking history but says she consumes alcohol occasionally. The vital signs include pulse 74 /min, respiratory rate 14/min, and blood pressure 140/86 mm Hg. Abdominal examination reveals moderate tenderness to palpation over the epigastric region. The remainder of the physical examination is unremarkable. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is performed and shows mild left axis deviation. Which of the following is the next best step in the management of this patient?

A 45-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 5-kg (11-lb) weight loss and difficulty swallowing. She is able to swallow liquids without difficulty but feels like solid foods get stuck in her throat. Physical examination shows taut skin and limited range of motion of the fingers. There are telangiectasias over the cheeks. An esophageal motility study shows absence of peristalsis in the lower two-thirds of the esophagus and decreased lower esophageal sphincter pressure. Further evaluation of this patient is most likely to show which of the following?

A 24-year-old Asian woman comes to the office complaining of fatigue. She states that for weeks she has noticed a decrease in her energy. She is a spin instructor, and she has been unable to teach. She said that when she was bringing groceries up the stairs yesterday she experienced some breathlessness and had to rest after ascending 1 flight. She denies chest pain, palpitations, or dyspnea at rest. She has occasional constipation. She recently became vegan 3 months ago following a yoga retreat abroad. The patient has no significant medical history and takes no medications. She was adopted, and her family history is non-contributory. She has never been pregnant. Her last menstrual period was 3 days ago, and her periods are regular. She is sexually active with her boyfriend of 2 years and uses condoms consistently. She drinks a glass of red wine each evening with dinner. She denies tobacco use or other recreational drug use. Her temperature is 99°F (37.2°C), blood pressure is 104/74 mmHg and pulse is 95/min. Oxygen saturation is 98% while breathing ambient air. On physical examination, bilateral conjunctiva are pale. Her capillary refill is 3 seconds. A complete blood count is drawn, as shown below: Hemoglobin: 10 g/dL Hematocrit: 32% Leukocyte count: 10,000/mm^3 with normal differential Platelet count: 200,000/mm^3 A peripheral smear shows hypochromic red blood cells and poikilocytosis. A hemoglobin electrophoresis reveals a minor reduction in hemoglobin A2. Which of the following is most likely to be seen on the patient’s iron studies?

A 58-year-old man presents to the emergency department with a 1-day history of difficulty swallowing. He also mentions that he has been frequently experiencing moderate to severe burning pain localized to the epigastric region for the last 3 weeks. The patient denies any history of vomiting, hematemesis, or black-colored stools. His past medical history is significant for gastroesophageal reflux disease diagnosed 10 years ago, for which he has not been compliant with medications. He has seen multiple physicians for similar complaints of retrosternal burning with regurgitation over the last 10 years but has not taken the medications suggested by the physicians regularly. He has never had a colonoscopy or endoscopy. He does not have any other known medical conditions, but he frequently takes over-the-counter analgesics for the relief of muscular pain. On physical examination, his vital signs are stable. Physical examination is normal except for the presence of mild pallor. Examination of the chest and abdomen does not reveal any abnormality. Which of the following investigations is indicated as the next step in the diagnostic evaluation of this patient?

A 55-year-old Caucasian man is referred to a gastroenterologist for difficulty in swallowing. He has been cutting his food into much smaller pieces when he eats for a little over a year. Recently, he has been having difficulty with liquid foods like soup as well. His past medical history is irrelevant, but he has noticed a 4 kg (8.8 lb) weight loss over the past 2 months. He is a smoker and has a BMI of 26 kg/m2. He regularly uses omeprazole for recurrent heartburn and ibuprofen for a frequent backache. On examination, the patient is afebrile and has no signs of pharyngeal inflammation, cervical lymphadenopathy, or palpable thyroid gland. A barium swallow imaging with an upper GI endoscopy is ordered. Which of the following is a risk factor for the condition that this patient has most likely developed?