Question 1 of 2: Explain the differences between primary and secondary spinal cord injury (SCI)? 13.A 22-year-old male was an unrestrained front seat passenger of a car traveling at 50 miles per hour. The driver swerved to avoid hitting a deer that darted in front of the car and hit a tree. The patient was ejected from the vehicle. He was awake and alert at […]

Question: What is Alzheimer’s Disease and how does amyloid beta factor into the development and progression of the disease? 12.A 22-year-old male was an unrestrained front seat passenger of a car traveling at 50 miles per hour. The driver swerved to avoid hitting a deer that darted in front of the car and hit a tree. The patient was ejected from the vehicle. He was […]

Question: What is the underlying pathophysiology of MG? 11.A 67-year-old male presents to the clinic along with his family with a chief complaint of having problems with his short-term memory. His family had dismissed these problems and attributed them to the aging process. Over time they have noticed changes in his behavior, along with increased confusion and difficulty completing basic tasks. He got lost driving […]

Question: What is multiple sclerosis and how did it cause the above patient’s symptoms? 10.61-year-old male complains of intermittent weakness and muscle fatigue that has progressively worsened over the past month. He was an internationally known extreme mountain climber but now he says he has difficulty in getting his morning paper. Initially he thought his symptoms of profound leg weakness and fatigue were due to […]

Question: What is a seizure and why is status epilepticus so dangerous for patients? 9.A 32-year-old while female presents to the Urgent Care with complaints of blurry vision and “fuzzy thinking” which has been present for the last several weeks or so. She works as an executive for an insurance company and put her symptoms down to the stress of preparing the quarterly report. Today, […]

Question: Why did the APRN feel a wrist splint would be helpful? What patient characteristics lead to this diagnosis. 8.A 24-year-old Caucasian male was brought to the Emergency Room (ER) by Emergency Medical System (EMS) after suffering a “convulsion” episode at work that didn’t stop. Upon arrival to the ER, the patient was noted to be actively seizing with tonic-clonic movements. The patient’s boss accompanied […]

Question: Why did the APRN order an HLA-B27 lab? How would that lab result assist in understanding what ankylosing spondylitis? 7.A 17-year-old male presents to the clinic with a chief complaint of pain in his right elbow. He says the pain is sharp, especially with pronation and supination. He noticed the pain several weeks ago after his tennis team went to a regional competition. When […]

Question: Explain why patients with rheumatoid arthritis exhibit these symptoms and how does it differ from osteoarthritis? 6.A 32-year-old Caucasian male presents to the office with complaints of back pain, stiffness, especially in the morning, interrupted sleep due to pain, and difficulty in leaning over to tie his shoes. The patient first noticed these symptoms about 6 months ago but attributed them to his weekend […]

Question: What is osteoporosis and how does it develop? 5.A 42-year-old woman presents to the clinic with a four-month history of generalized joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, especially in her hands. She states that these symptoms have made it difficult to grasp objects and has made caring for her 6 and 4-year-old children problematic. She admits to increased fatigue, but she thought it was due […]

Question: What is Lyme disease and what patient factors may have increased his risk developing Lyme disease? 4.A 72-year-old female was walking her dog when the dog suddenly tried to chase a squirrel and pulled the woman down. She tried to break her fall by putting her hand out and she landed on her outstretched hand. She immediately felt severe pain in her right wrist […]