Systemic Pathology — MCQs

A 35-year-old man presents with acute onset of chest pain, trouble breathing, and abdominal pain. He says he had recently been training for a triathlon competition when, over the past week, he noticed that he was getting more tired than usual. He figured that it was due to his age since most of the people training with him were in their 20s. However, after completing a particularly difficult workout over this last weekend he noticed left-sided chest pain that did not radiate, and abdominal pain, worse on the right side. The pain persisted after he stopped exercising. This morning he noticed red urine. The patient reports similar past episodes of red urine after intense exercise or excessive alcohol intake for the past 5 years, but says it has never been accompanied by pain. Past medical history is significant for a urinary tract infection last week, treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Physical examination is significant for a systolic flow murmur loudest at the right upper sternal border and right upper quadrant tenderness without guarding or rebound. Laboratory findings are significant for the following: Hemoglobin 8.5 g/dL Platelets 133,000/µL Total bilirubin 6.8 mg/dL LDH 740 U/L Haptoglobin 25 mg/dL An abdominal MRI with contrast is performed which reveals hepatic vein thrombosis. Which of the following laboratory tests would most likely to confirm the diagnosis in this patient?

A 29-year-old woman comes to the clinic for complaints of fatigue and palpitations for the past 3 days. She reports that even standing up and walking around takes “a lot of energy.” She was forced to call in sick today to her work as a kindergarten teacher. She denies any previous episodes but does endorse symmetric joint pain of her hands, wrists, knees, and ankles that was worse in the morning over the past week that self-resolved. She also reports a runny nose and congestion. Past medical history is unremarkable. Physical examination demonstrates splenomegaly, pallor, and generalized weakness; there is no lymphadenopathy. What is the most likely explanation for this patient’s symptoms?

A 52-year-old man comes to the physician because of right knee pain and swelling for 2 days. Four days ago, he tripped at home and landed on his knees. He reports an episode of diarrhea 3 weeks ago that resolved after 4 days without treatment. He has a history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, and was recently diagnosed with parathyroid disease. He drinks 1–2 ounces of whiskey daily and occasionally more on weekends. His brother has ankylosing spondylitis. Vital signs are within normal limits. Examination of the right leg shows an abrasion below the patella. There is swelling and tenderness of the right knee; range of motion is limited by pain. Arthrocentesis of the right knee joint yields 15 mL of cloudy fluid with a leukocyte count of 26,300/mm3 (91% segmented neutrophils). Microscopic examination of the synovial fluid under polarized light shows rhomboid-shaped, weakly positively birefringent crystals. Which of the following is the strongest predisposing factor for this patient's condition?

A 63-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by the police after he was found in the streets lying unconscious on the ground. Both of his pupils are normal in size and reactive to light. There are no obvious signs of head trauma. The finger prick test shows a blood glucose level of 20 mg/dL. He has been brought to the emergency department due to acute alcohol intoxication several times. The vital signs include: blood pressure 100/70 mm Hg, heart rate 110/min, respiratory rate 22/min, and temperature 35℃ (95℉). On general examination, he is pale looking and disheveled with an odor of EtOH. On physical examination, the abdomen is soft and non-tender with no hepatosplenomegaly. After giving a bolus of intravenous dextrose, thiamine, and naloxone, he spontaneously opens his eyes. Blood and urine samples are drawn for toxicology screening. The blood alcohol level comes out to be 300 mg/dL. What will be the most likely laboratory findings in this patient?

A 4-year-old boy presents to the emergency department with a 1 hour history of severe knee pain after he bumped his knee against a door. He has no past medical history though his parents say that he seems to bruise fairly easily. His parents say that they are afraid he may have accidentally taken his grandfather's warfarin medication. On presentation, he is found to have an erythematous, warm, swollen knee. Based on this presentation, a panel of laboratory tests are ordered with the following results: Bleeding time: 3 minutes Prothrombin time (PT): 12 seconds Partial thromboplastin time (PTT): 56 seconds Mixing studies show correction of the PTT Which of the following is most likely the cause of this patient's symptoms?

A previously healthy 17-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department by his mother for further evaluation after elective removal of his wisdom teeth. During the procedure, the patient had persistent bleeding from the teeth's surrounding gums. Multiple gauze packs were applied with minimal effect. The patient has a history of easy bruising. The mother says her brother had similar problems when his wisdom teeth were removed, and that he also has a history of easy bruising and joint swelling. The patient takes no medications. His temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 90/min, and blood pressure is 108/74 mm Hg. Laboratory studies show: Hematocrit 35% Leukocyte count 8,500/mm3 Platelet count 160,000/mm3 Prothrombin time 15 sec Partial thromboplastin time 60 sec Bleeding time 6 min Fibrin split products negative Serum Urea nitrogen 20 mg/dL Creatinine 1.0 mg/dL Bilirubin Total 1.0 mg/dL Direct 0.5 mg/dL Lactate dehydrogenase 90 U/L Peripheral blood smear shows normal-sized platelets. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 34-year-old man presents with acute-onset fever and weakness followed by shifting neurologic deficits (aphasia, motor deficits), which have lasted for a few days. His relatives add that his quantity of urine has reduced significantly over the last few days. He has never had any similar symptoms. Laboratory findings are significant for the following: Hb 8.6 g/dL WBC 6.5 × 1000/mm3 Platelets 43 × 1000/mm3 Cr 3.1 mg/dL BUN 25 mg/dL Na+ 136 mg/dL K+ 4.2 mg/dL Cl- 101 mg/dL HCO3- 24 mg/dL Glu 101 mg/dL Examination of the peripheral smear shows the presence of schistocytes, helmet cells, and spherocytes. Which of the following is true regarding this patient's condition?

A 43-year-old woman comes to the office with a 5-day history of a rash. She's had a rash across her neck, shoulders, and the palms of her hands for the past five days. She's also had large-volume watery diarrhea for the same period of time. Past medical history is notable for acute myeloid leukemia, for which she received a stem cell transplant from a donor about two months prior. Physical exam reveals a faint red maculopapular rash across her neck, shoulders, and hands, as well as an enlarged liver and spleen. Labs are notable for a total bilirubin of 10. Which of the following is the mechanism of this patient's pathology?

A 29-year-old African American woman presents with incidentally noted bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy on a recent chest radiograph for the evaluation of pneumonia 1 month earlier. Upon questioning, she reports a cough and dyspnea. The report provided by a previous ophthalmologic consultation did not demonstrate any eye abnormalities. Clinical laboratory pathologic analysis reveals an elevated level of angiotensin-converting enzyme. Her physical examination reveals no obvious abnormalities. Her vital signs show a heart rate of 76/min, respiratory rate of 16/min, and blood pressure of 123/73 mm Hg. Of the following options, which is the mechanism of the reaction causing hilar adenopathy in this patient?

A 47-year-old woman presents to her physician for difficulty swallowing. She states that she intentionally delayed seeing a physician for this issue. She says her primary issue with swallowing is that her mouth always feels dry so she has difficulty chewing food to the point that it can be swallowed. On physical examination, her oral mucosa appears dry. Both of her eyes also appear dry. Several enlarged lymph nodes are palpated. Which of the following patterns of reactive lymphadenitis is most commonly associated with this patient’s presentation?