PCS PCS Pediatric Conditions and Diagnoses 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of cerebral palsy is characterized by increased muscle tone and is the most common form?
- Dyskinetic CP
- Ataxic CP
- Spastic CP (Correct answer)
- Mixed CP
Correct answer: Spastic CP
Spastic cerebral palsy accounts for approximately 80% of all CP cases and is marked by hypertonia and stiff, awkward movements.
Question 2: Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) is most commonly caused by which chromosomal event?
- Translocation of chromosome 18
- Nondisjunction of chromosome 21 (Correct answer)
- Deletion of chromosome 15
- Duplication of chromosome 22
Correct answer: Nondisjunction of chromosome 21
About 95% of Down syndrome cases result from nondisjunction of chromosome 21, producing three copies instead of two.
Question 3: A key hallmark feature that distinguishes autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria is:
- Intellectual disability in all cases
- Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction plus restricted/repetitive behaviors (Correct answer)
- Onset exclusively after age 3
- Requirement of speech delay for diagnosis
Correct answer: Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction plus restricted/repetitive behaviors
DSM-5 requires both social communication deficits AND restricted/repetitive behaviors for an ASD diagnosis.
Question 4: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) follows which inheritance pattern?
- Autosomal dominant
- Autosomal recessive
- X-linked recessive (Correct answer)
- Mitochondrial
Correct answer: X-linked recessive
DMD is caused by a mutation in the dystrophin gene on the X chromosome and primarily affects males.
Question 5: Which condition is characterized by a 'strawberry tongue,' high fever, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy in young children and can lead to coronary artery aneurysms?
- Scarlet fever
- Kawasaki disease (Correct answer)
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Roseola infantum
Correct answer: Kawasaki disease
Kawasaki disease is a vasculitis primarily affecting children under 5 and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the US.
Question 6: In children with spina bifida myelomeningocele, the level of the spinal lesion primarily determines:
- IQ and cognitive function
- The degree of motor and sensory loss below the lesion (Correct answer)
- The risk of hydrocephalus only
- The severity of bowel dysfunction only
Correct answer: The degree of motor and sensory loss below the lesion
The neurological level of the myelomeningocele lesion determines the extent of motor paralysis and sensory loss below that level.
PCS PCS Pediatric Conditions and Diagnoses 1
Which type of cerebral palsy is characterized by increased muscle tone and is the most common form?