Chronic Disease Management Flashcards
7 cards from real AANP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Chronic Disease Management flashcards as text
A 70-year-old patient with stage 3b CKD (eGFR 38) and hyperkalemia (K+ 5.8 mEq/L) is on an ACE inhibitor for diabetic nephropathy. What is the most appropriate immediate management?
Answer: Reduce ACE inhibitor dose and add a potassium binder if needed
In mild-to-moderate hyperkalemia with clear indication for ACE inhibitor (diabetic nephropathy), dose reduction combined with potassium binders (e.g., patiromer) allows continuation of renoprotective therapy.
A patient with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF, EF 58%) presents with dyspnea and lower extremity edema. What is the primary pharmacologic treatment for symptom relief?
Answer: Loop diuretics
Loop diuretics are the cornerstone of symptomatic treatment in HFpEF by reducing volume overload, as no therapy has yet demonstrated mortality reduction in HFpEF.
A patient with asthma is classified as having moderate persistent disease. He is currently on a low-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) with persistent symptoms. What is the next step per NAEPP guidelines?
Answer: Step up to low-dose ICS plus a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA)
NAEPP Step 3 therapy for moderate persistent asthma is low-dose ICS combined with a LABA, which improves symptom control compared to ICS monotherapy.
A 62-year-old patient with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease has an HbA1c of 8.2%. He is on metformin. Which agent should be added for its proven cardiovascular mortality benefit?
Answer: Empagliflozin (SGLT-2 inhibitor)
SGLT-2 inhibitors such as empagliflozin have demonstrated cardiovascular mortality reduction in patients with T2DM and established ASCVD in landmark trials (EMPA-REG OUTCOME).
A 55-year-old patient with gout has a serum uric acid of 9.8 mg/dL and two gout flares in the past year. He is not on urate-lowering therapy. What is the appropriate treatment goal?
Answer: Serum uric acid < 6 mg/dL with allopurinol
ACR guidelines recommend initiating urate-lowering therapy (first-line allopurinol) in patients with ≥2 flares/year, with a target serum urate < 6 mg/dL to prevent crystal deposition and flares.
A patient with hypothyroidism has been stable on levothyroxine 100 mcg for 2 years. A repeat TSH returns at 6.8 mIU/L (reference 0.4–4.0). She reports fatigue and cold intolerance. What is the most appropriate action?
Answer: Increase levothyroxine dose by 12.5–25 mcg
A mildly elevated TSH with symptoms consistent with hypothyroidism indicates under-replacement; the standard approach is a small incremental increase in levothyroxine dose.
A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has an oxygen saturation of 86% at rest on room air. Which intervention has been shown to improve survival in COPD?
Answer: Long-term supplemental oxygen therapy ≥15 hours/day
The NOTT and MRC trials demonstrated that long-term oxygen therapy ≥15 hours/day improves survival in COPD patients with resting hypoxemia (PaO₂ ≤55 mmHg or SpO₂ ≤88%).