Endocrine System Disorders Flashcards
7 cards from real Physician Assistant practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Endocrine System Disorders flashcards as text
An ICU patient with septic shock has low total T3, elevated reverse T3, and a low-normal TSH. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Nonthyroidal illness (euthyroid sick) syndrome
Severe illness reduces peripheral T4-to-T3 conversion and raises reverse T3 without true thyroid disease.
A 45-year-old with resistant hypertension and spontaneous hypokalemia needs screening for the most likely secondary cause. Which test is best?
Answer: Plasma aldosterone-to-renin ratio
Primary aldosteronism is screened with an elevated plasma aldosterone concentration to plasma renin activity ratio.
Before surgical resection of a pheochromocytoma, which medication should be started first?
Answer: Phenoxybenzamine
Alpha blockade must precede beta blockade to prevent unopposed alpha-mediated hypertensive crisis.
A child is found to carry a germline RET proto-oncogene mutation associated with MEN 2A. Which intervention is recommended?
Answer: Prophylactic total thyroidectomy
RET carriers nearly always develop medullary thyroid carcinoma, so prophylactic thyroidectomy is advised in childhood.
A euvolemic patient with small cell lung cancer has serum sodium 124 mEq/L. Which lab pattern supports SIADH?
Answer: Serum osm low, urine osm >100, urine Na >40
SIADH causes hypotonic hyponatremia with inappropriately concentrated urine and elevated urine sodium in a euvolemic patient.
A woman has a tender thyroid, fever, and thyrotoxicosis two weeks after a viral URI; ESR is elevated and radioactive iodine uptake is low. What is the initial treatment?
Answer: NSAIDs and a beta blocker
Subacute granulomatous (de Quervain) thyroiditis is self-limited and treated symptomatically with NSAIDs and beta blockers.
Two days after parathyroidectomy for severe primary hyperparathyroidism, a patient develops perioral numbness and a positive Chvostek sign. Which lab pattern is expected with hungry bone syndrome?
Answer: Low calcium, low phosphate, low magnesium
Rapid bone remineralization after PTH drop pulls calcium, phosphate, and magnesium out of the serum.
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