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Question 1
Correct
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A 85 year old male with a history of Alzheimer's dementia was brought into Casualty by family members, who stated that he had episodes of aggression. Which of the following drugs is most suitable as the pharmacological management for this presentation?
Your Answer: Risperidone
Explanation:Regarding the pharmacological management, Risperidone is the most suitable drug from the given answers as it is recommended for the treatment of aggression associated with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. Quetiapine and Benzodiazepine are not recommended.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 2
Correct
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A 70-year-old woman is having trouble in speaking following a stroke. Her limbs are paralyzed, both left upper and lower limbs. Which anatomical site is most likely affected?
Your Answer: Internal capsule
Explanation:– The given scenario is typical of lesion in internal capsule. – Memory impairment is caused by a hippocampal lesion, – Impairment of arousal, facial paresis, visual field defect, facial paresis, hemiataxia, and hemispacial neglect are just some of the conditions caused by thalamic lesion. – Brainstem stroke on the other hand causes breathing abnormality, altered consciousness, and blood pressure disorder.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 3
Correct
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A 62 year old female has complained she feels unsteady when she is walking. She is examined and is found to have pyramidal weakness of her left lower leg. She also has reduced pain and temperature sensation on her right leg and right side of her torso up to the umbilicus. Her joint position sense is also impaired in her left big toe but is found to be normal elsewhere. She has definite left extensor plantar response, and the right plantar response is equivocal. Where is the lesion?
Your Answer: Left mid-thoracic cord
Explanation:In Brown-Sequard syndrome, there is paralysis and loss of proprioception, which occurs on the same (ipsilateral) side of the body, as the lesion. Loss of pain and temperature sensation, therefore, occurs on the opposite (contralateral) side of the body as the lesion.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 4
Correct
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A 79-year-old woman has a waddling gait. History reveals enuresis and change in behaviour. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Your Answer: Normal pressure hydrocephalus
Explanation:The waddling gait and behaviour change are attributes of normal pressure hydrocephalus along with loss of bladder control which commonly happens with elder age.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 5
Correct
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A 62 year old female complains of pain and stiffness in her shoulders. She also finds it difficult to get out of her chair. From the list of symptoms below, choose the one most likely to support the diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica.
Your Answer: Low grade fever
Explanation:Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disease which usually causes stiffness and pain in the shoulder – this can also occur in the pelvic girdle muscles. Its onset can either be subacute or acute and is associated with a systemic inflammatory response. This, therefore, causes symptoms such as fever, weight loss, anorexia, and malaise. Polymyalgia rheumatica is unpredictable in its course and it is known that 30 per cent of patients also present with giant cell arteritis. The cause of this disease is unknown but studies have shown it have infectious origins. Diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica can be difficult and other inflammatory diseases have to be excluded first. Patients with this disease are usually over 60 years of age (it is very rarely seen in those under 50). Muscle weakness does not present, although this can be hard to assess when the patient is in pain. Low-grade fever and weight loss are typical of this disease due to chronic inflammation. As such, weight gain is very rare and peripheral joints are usually not affected (they can be affected but it is very rare). Also, muscle tenderness is not a specific symptom of the disease – it is therefore not a classical finding of polymyalgia rheumatica. Although patients usually complain of stiffness and pain, the muscles are usually not significantly tender – this is usually more associated with fibromyalgia or myositis. When investigated, a normochromic/normocytic anaemia; a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate often over 50 mm/hr., and raised C reactive protein are usually revealed. Symptoms of giant cell arteritis should also be sought, such as headaches, visual disturbances, TIAs (transient ischemic attacks), jaw claudication, and thickened temporal arteries. The patient response to a moderate dose of steroids is useful when confirming a diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica. The maximum dose of prednisolone should not exceed 20mg once a day. After treatment, patients should show a 70 per cent improvement in symptoms within a month (between 3-4 weeks). Inflammatory markers should also fall back to their normal levels. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are of little use and are associated with morbidity. There is also little evidence for the use of steroidal-sparing agents.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 6
Incorrect
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An 87-year-old woman had to double up her dosage of morphine 60mg into 120mg twice a day, in addition to another 10mg oral Morphine 6 times a day. What is the best method of management?
Your Answer: 90mg MR morphine plus 30mg every 4 hours
Correct Answer: Subcutaneous morphine infusion
Explanation:Stable dose of Morphine is essential for chronic cases of pain that are non-malignant in origin. Using the SC route avoids having to intravenously cannulate a patient and allows for a continuous infusion of drugs over a calculated period of time providing constant dosing A significant advantage is that plasma levels of a drug are much more stable, and appropriate symptom control can be achieved without the toxic effects of the peaks and troughs resulting from episodic drug administration.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 7
Incorrect
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A 75 year old man presented to hospital after suffering a stroke. The doctor admitted him and advised of the Barthel score index. During rehabilitation, which one of the following limitations are best described by Barthel score index?
Your Answer: It is laborious and takes a long time to perform
Correct Answer: Floor and ceiling effects
Explanation:Barthel scoring has floor and ceiling effects which is the most widely recognised limitation. Floor effect means that the patient who is bed bound can score initially low, whereas the ceiling effect shows that despite being bed bound, a patient can achieve a maximum score i.e. 100. The test is easy to perform and correlates well with other prognostic scales.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 8
Correct
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A 68 year old male presented with swelling in the lower pole of his parotid gland. It is revealed that this has been ongoing for the past 10 years. Upon examination, the swelling is firm in consistency. From the list of options, choose the most probable diagnosis for this patient.
Your Answer: Pleomorphic adenoma
Explanation:A pleomorphic adenoma is also called a benign mixed tumour – this is the most common tumour of the parotid gland. It also causes over a third of all submandibular tumours. This type of a tumour is slow-growing and has no symptoms, which means it has great malignant potentiality.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 9
Correct
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A 75 year old man was brought to the clinic by his wife because lately he has lost interest in activities he previously enjoyed. His wife is worried and claims he's generally withdrawn. What would exclude depression in favour of dementia?
Your Answer: Urinary incontinence
Explanation:Urinary incontinence is not a usual symptom of depression. A depressed patient is usually capable of maintaining control of his body sphincters. In dementia, however, urinary incontinence is an important and late symptom of the disease, non-related to any urinary tract pathology. It is rather related to the cognitive impairment caused by dementia.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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Question 10
Correct
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A 85 year old male with a history of faecal impaction, who lived at a nursing-home presented with abdominal pain and distension, confusion and agitation. Which of the following is the first step of the management.
Your Answer: Phosphate enema
Explanation:The most probable cause for this presentation is faecal impaction following constipation, which is common among old people who live in nursing-homes. There can be number of reason for constipation in old age, including medications, endocrine and metabolic diseases, neurologic disorders, myopathic disorders, dietary habits etc. Enemas are a way of removing impacted faeces, which helps rectal evacuation.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Geriatrics
- Medicine
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SESSION STATS - PERFORMANCE PER SPECIALTY
