General Flashcards
7 cards from real Dermatologist Certificate practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 General flashcards as text
A patient with HIV develops painful, grouped vesicles along a unilateral thoracic dermatome. What is the treatment of choice?
Answer: Oral valacyclovir
Herpes zoster in immunocompromised patients is treated with oral valacyclovir or famciclovir; IV acyclovir is reserved for severe or disseminated disease.
Which gene is most commonly mutated in patients with familial melanoma?
Answer: CDKN2A
CDKN2A (encoding p16/INK4A) is the most commonly mutated gene in familial melanoma, significantly increasing lifetime risk.
Nikolsky's sign is positive in which of the following conditions?
Answer: Pemphigus vulgaris
Nikolsky's sign — lateral pressure causing epidermal slippage — is positive in pemphigus vulgaris due to loss of keratinocyte cohesion from anti-desmoglein antibodies.
Which topical medication is first-line for rosacea papulopustular subtype?
Answer: Topical metronidazole
Topical metronidazole is a first-line treatment for papulopustular rosacea due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
The Koebner phenomenon refers to the appearance of skin lesions at sites of:
Answer: Trauma or injury
The Koebner (isomorphic) phenomenon occurs when skin disease appears at sites of trauma, classically seen in psoriasis, vitiligo, and lichen planus.
A 35-year-old woman has butterfly-shaped facial erythema, photosensitivity, and a positive ANA. Which antibody is most specific for SLE?
Answer: Anti-dsDNA
Anti-dsDNA antibodies are highly specific for SLE and their titers often correlate with disease activity, particularly lupus nephritis.
Which type of skin cancer has the highest rate of metastasis?
Answer: Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare but aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer with high rates of local recurrence, nodal spread, and distant metastasis.
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