Practice Test GeeksABIM - American Board of Internal Medicine Practice Test
← All ABIM Flashcard Decks

Rheumatology Flashcards

7 cards from real ABIM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Rheumatology flashcards as text

  1. Which antibody is most specific for rheumatoid arthritis?

    Answer: Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP)

    Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody has approximately 95% specificity for rheumatoid arthritis, making it more specific than rheumatoid factor.

  2. Which antibody is most specific for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)?

    Answer: Anti-Smith (anti-Sm)

    Anti-Smith (anti-Sm) antibodies are the most specific antibody for SLE (~99% specific), though they have lower sensitivity than anti-dsDNA.

  3. A 55-year-old man presents with sudden-onset severe pain and swelling of his right great toe with a serum uric acid of 9.2 mg/dL. What is the most appropriate first-line treatment for this acute attack?

    Answer: Colchicine

    Colchicine (along with NSAIDs or corticosteroids) is first-line for acute gout; urate-lowering agents like allopurinol should never be initiated during an acute attack.

  4. Which synovial fluid finding is most characteristic of gout?

    Answer: Negatively birefringent needle-shaped crystals

    Gout is characterized by monosodium urate crystals that are needle-shaped and negatively birefringent under polarized light microscopy.

  5. A 50-year-old woman presents with dry eyes, dry mouth, anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, and anti-La/SSB antibodies. Which condition is most likely?

    Answer: Primary Sjögren's syndrome

    Anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies are characteristically associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome, which presents with sicca symptoms (dry eyes and dry mouth).

  6. A 25-year-old man presents with low back pain and morning stiffness that improves with exercise, positive HLA-B27, and sacroiliitis on imaging. What is the most appropriate initial treatment?

    Answer: NSAIDs

    NSAIDs are the first-line treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (axial spondyloarthropathy); TNF inhibitors or IL-17 inhibitors are added if NSAIDs provide insufficient relief.

  7. Which feature of psoriatic arthritis most distinctly differentiates it from rheumatoid arthritis?

    Answer: Dactylitis (sausage digits)

    Dactylitis (diffuse swelling of an entire digit giving a 'sausage digit' appearance) is a hallmark of psoriatic arthritis and is not seen in rheumatoid arthritis.