What manifestation is expected with an obstruction of the small intestine?
Increased passage of gas
Decreased heart rate
Severe diarrhea
Abdominal distension
The Correct Answer is D
A. Increased passage of gas: Small intestinal obstruction prevents the forward movement of intestinal contents, including gas. As the obstruction worsens, passage of flatus typically decreases or stops altogether. Early in partial obstruction, some gas may pass, but progressive obstruction leads to retention rather than increased passage.
B. Decreased heart rate: Obstruction of the small intestine commonly leads to vomiting, fluid shifts into the bowel lumen, and dehydration. These changes activate compensatory mechanisms that increase heart rate rather than decrease it. Bradycardia is not a typical physiologic response to intestinal obstruction.
C. Severe diarrhea: Complete small bowel obstruction usually results in constipation and failure to pass stool or flatus. While early or partial obstruction may cause minimal stool passage, severe diarrhea is not characteristic because intestinal contents cannot move past the obstructed segment.
D. Abdominal distension: Obstruction leads to accumulation of gas and fluid proximal to the blockage, causing bowel dilation. This results in visible and palpable abdominal distension, often accompanied by cramping pain and vomiting. Distension reflects impaired transit and increased intraluminal pressure within the obstructed bowel.
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Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
A. Weight loss:Weight loss can occur in hepatitis B due to decreased appetite and metabolic changes. While concerning for overall nutrition and health, it is a gradual symptom and not immediately life-threatening.
B. Anorexia:Anorexia is a common early symptom of hepatitis B caused by liver inflammation. It can contribute to malnutrition but is generally not an acute indicator of severe or emergent complications.
C. Confusion:Confusion may indicate hepatic encephalopathy, a serious complication of liver dysfunction where toxins like ammonia accumulate and impair brain function. This is a medical emergency requiring prompt assessment and intervention to prevent progression to coma.
D. Fever:Fever reflects the body’s inflammatory response to infection and is common in viral hepatitis. While it requires monitoring, it is not as immediately concerning as neurological changes like confusion.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. Decreased blood sugar increases the sensitivity of nerves:Hypoglycemia can cause temporary neurological symptoms such as tingling or weakness, but it does not cause the chronic nerve damage seen in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Low blood sugar affects nerve function transiently rather than causing structural nerve injury.
B. Excess circulating insulin damages the body's vasculature:Hyperinsulinemia is not the primary mechanism of neuropathy in diabetes. While vascular complications contribute to long-term diabetes sequelae, insulin itself does not directly damage nerves.
C. Autoantibodies destroy nerve fibers in the lower extremities:Autoimmune-mediated nerve destruction is characteristic of conditions like Guillain-Barré syndrome, not diabetic neuropathy. Diabetes-induced neuropathy is primarily metabolic and vascular rather than autoimmune.
D. Elevated blood sugar over time is toxic to nerve endings:Chronic hyperglycemia leads to accumulation of advanced glycation end-products, oxidative stress, and microvascular damage, which impairs nutrient and oxygen delivery to nerves. This results in progressive degeneration of peripheral nerves, particularly in the lower extremities, causing numbness, tingling, and pain characteristic of diabetic neuropathy.
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