PCS PCS Pediatric Conditions and Diagnoses 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which condition involves excessive, uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain and often requires careful management during pediatric rehabilitation?
- Hydrocephalus
- Epilepsy/seizure disorder (Correct answer)
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Meningitis
Correct answer: Epilepsy/seizure disorder
Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures due to abnormal neuronal electrical discharges and is common in children with neurological diagnoses.
Question 2: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is defined as arthritis lasting at least how long with onset before age 16?
- 2 weeks
- 4 weeks
- 6 weeks (Correct answer)
- 3 months
Correct answer: 6 weeks
JIA requires joint inflammation present for at least 6 weeks with onset before age 16 to meet diagnostic criteria.
Question 3: A premature infant born at 28 weeks gestation is at highest risk for which neurological complication?
- Hydranencephaly
- Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (Correct answer)
- Sturge-Weber syndrome
- Rett syndrome
Correct answer: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)
IVH is the most common serious neurological complication in extremely premature infants due to fragile germinal matrix blood vessels.
Question 4: Sickle cell disease causes pediatric pain crises primarily due to which pathophysiological mechanism?
- Autoimmune destruction of red blood cells
- Vascular occlusion from sickled erythrocytes blocking blood flow (Correct answer)
- Excessive platelet aggregation
- Overproduction of white blood cells
Correct answer: Vascular occlusion from sickled erythrocytes blocking blood flow
Sickled red blood cells obstruct small blood vessels, causing ischemia and pain in a vaso-occlusive crisis.
Question 5: Which condition is characterized by inflammation of the joints, skin (butterfly rash), kidneys, and other organs, and requires careful monitoring in pediatric patients?
- Dermatomyositis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Correct answer)
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
Correct answer: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Pediatric SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease affecting multiple organ systems, including the kidneys (nephritis) and skin.
Question 6: In children diagnosed with ADHD, which brain region is most frequently implicated in executive function deficits?
- Occipital lobe
- Cerebellum
- Prefrontal cortex (Correct answer)
- Temporal lobe
Correct answer: Prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning, attention, and impulse control, shows reduced activity and delayed maturation in ADHD.
PCS PCS Pediatric Conditions and Diagnoses 2
Which condition involves excessive, uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain and often requires careful management during pediatric rehabilitation?