Which laboratory value is expected with Graves' disease?

A. Hernia causes mechanical bowel obstruction by physically trapping or compressing the intestine, preventing content passage. This aligns with the patient’s hernia, creating a structural blockage consistent with clinical findings.

B. Hypokalemia leads to functional bowel obstruction by disrupting intestinal motility through electrolyte imbalances, impairing muscle contractions without physical blockage. This matches the patient’s hypokalemia, exacerbating adynamic ileus.

C. Anesthesia from surgery causes functional bowel obstruction by slowing intestinal peristalsis, often resulting in postoperative ileus. This aligns with the patient’s recent anesthesia exposure, disrupting coordinated muscle contractions.

D. Intestinal tumor results in mechanical bowel obstruction by physically blocking or compressing the intestinal lumen, impeding content flow. The patient’s tumor aligns with this mechanism, a common cause of mechanical obstruction.

E. Pancreatitis contributes to functional bowel obstruction by causing inflammation or retroperitoneal irritation, leading to adynamic ileus without physical blockage. This matches the patient’s pancreatitis, disrupting intestinal motility.

F. Adhesions cause mechanical bowel obstruction by forming fibrous bands that kink or compress the intestine, blocking content passage. The patient’s adhesion history aligns with this, a leading cause of small bowel obstruction

Choice A reason: Acute infections are not defined by location but by rapid onset and severity. While some infections may be localized, the hallmark is their abrupt, intense presentation, resolving quickly with treatment or spontaneously, making this choice incomplete and incorrect for fully describing acute infections.

Choice B reason: Acute infections are characterized by rapid onset, severe symptoms, and short duration, typically resolving within days to weeks. This reflects the body’s immediate immune response to pathogens, causing intense but transient symptoms, such as fever or pain, making this the correct choice.

Choice C reason: Non-apparent, prolonged symptoms describe subclinical or chronic infections, not acute ones. Acute infections present with noticeable, severe symptoms that resolve quickly, not persisting asymptomatically, making this choice incorrect for the characteristics of acute infections.

Choice D reason: Less severe, prolonged symptoms describe chronic infections, like tuberculosis, not acute infections. Acute infections feature rapid, intense symptoms that resolve quickly, not mild symptoms over time, making this choice incorrect for describing acute infections.