Which pathophysiological process best describes Alzheimer's disease?
Abnormal tau proteins that damage the frontal lobe.
Blood vessels become damaged in the brain and interrupt blood flow.
Repeated traumatic brain injuries causing encephalopathy.
Amyloid plaques and tau tangles that damage the hippocampus.
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Abnormal tau proteins contribute to Alzheimer’s, forming neurofibrillary tangles, but damage is not limited to the frontal lobe. The hippocampus and other regions are primarily affected, leading to memory loss. This choice is too specific and incomplete, making it incorrect.
Choice B reason: Damaged blood vessels interrupting brain blood flow describe vascular dementia, not Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s involves neuronal degeneration from protein accumulation, not primarily vascular pathology, although vascular factors may contribute, making this choice incorrect for Alzheimer’s pathophysiology.
Choice C reason: Repeated traumatic brain injuries cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy, not Alzheimer’s. While trauma may increase Alzheimer’s risk, the primary pathology involves amyloid and tau proteins, not trauma-induced encephalopathy, making this choice incorrect for the disease’s core pathophysiology.
Choice D reason: Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by amyloid-beta plaques and tau protein tangles, which disrupt neuronal function, particularly in the hippocampus, leading to memory impairment. These protein aggregates cause synaptic loss and neurodegeneration, accurately describing the disease’s pathophysiology, making this the correct choice.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Platelet-activating factor promotes platelet aggregation and inflammation but does not directly cause redness. Redness in acute inflammation results from increased blood flow to the affected area, driven by vascular changes, not primarily platelet activity, making this choice incorrect.
Choice B reason: Vasodilation, triggered by inflammatory mediators like histamine, increases blood flow to the inflamed area, causing redness (erythema). Dilated vessels allow more oxygenated blood to reach tissues, a hallmark of acute inflammation, making this the correct pathophysiological process for redness.
Choice C reason: Increased capillary permeability allows fluid and proteins to leak into tissues, causing swelling (edema) in inflammation. While it contributes to inflammation, it does not directly cause redness, which is due to increased blood flow, making this choice incorrect.
Choice D reason: Vasoconstriction reduces blood flow, causing pallor, not redness. In acute inflammation, vasodilation predominates to deliver immune cells and nutrients, while vasoconstriction is an initial transient response, making this choice incorrect for causing redness.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: A metabolic deficit of dystrophin causing muscle cell necrosis describes muscular dystrophy, not osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis involves joint cartilage degradation, not muscle pathology. Dystrophin deficiency affects muscle fiber integrity, unrelated to the joint-specific degenerative process of osteoarthritis, making this choice incorrect.
Choice B reason: Bone infection, or osteomyelitis, is caused by bacteria or fungi, leading to bone destruction. Osteoarthritis is a non-infectious degenerative condition affecting cartilage and subchondral bone due to mechanical stress and aging, not infection, making this choice incorrect for osteoarthritis’s pathophysiology.
Choice C reason: Loss of bone matrix causing fragile bones describes osteoporosis, not osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis primarily involves cartilage breakdown and joint inflammation, with secondary bone changes like osteophytes, not systemic bone density loss, making this choice incorrect for the joint-focused pathology.
Choice D reason: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage loss due to mechanical stress, inflammation, and aging. This leads to joint pain, stiffness, and bone remodeling, such as osteophyte formation, accurately describing the pathophysiology and making this the correct choice.
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