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Pathophysiology Flashcards

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

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  1. Which pathophysiological change in obesity most directly impairs VO2max?

    Answer: Excess adipose tissue increasing metabolic demand relative to lean mass

    Obese individuals carry non-metabolically active mass, so their VO2max expressed per kilogram of total body weight is lower than lean-mass-normalized values.

  2. A 58-year-old post-myocardial infarction patient shows ST-segment depression at 5 METs during a graded exercise test. This finding most likely indicates:

    Answer: Residual myocardial ischemia in viable tissue beyond the infarct zone

    ST depression during exercise typically reflects subendocardial ischemia from inadequate coronary perfusion in myocardium supplied by stenotic vessels.

  3. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), which mechanism contributes most to exercise intolerance?

    Answer: Anemia from reduced erythropoietin synthesis combined with uremic myopathy

    CKD reduces renal erythropoietin production causing anemia, and uremic toxins impair skeletal muscle function, together severely limiting aerobic capacity.

  4. Which pathological process differentiates stable angina from unstable angina?

    Answer: Unstable angina involves plaque rupture or erosion with dynamic thrombus formation at rest

    Unstable angina results from acute plaque rupture or erosion triggering platelet aggregation and thrombus formation, reducing coronary flow without complete occlusion.

  5. A patient with Parkinson's disease presents with shuffling gait and bradykinesia. The underlying neuropathological mechanism is:

    Answer: Dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra impairing basal ganglia motor control

    Loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra disrupts the basal ganglia circuitry that facilitates smooth, voluntary movement initiation.

  6. Resting hypertension increases the risk of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) through which mechanism?

    Answer: Elevated systemic vascular resistance increasing afterload, forcing the left ventricle to generate higher wall stress chronically

    Chronic high afterload requires the left ventricle to generate greater pressure per beat, stimulating myocardial protein synthesis and concentric hypertrophy.

  7. During moderate-intensity exercise, a patient with type 1 diabetes on insulin therapy is most at risk for which complication?

    Answer: Exercise-induced hypoglycemia from increased glucose uptake combined with exogenous insulin

    Exercise increases muscle glucose uptake via insulin-independent GLUT4 translocation; when combined with exogenous insulin, this can rapidly deplete blood glucose causing hypoglycemia.