Week 2 Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders Flashcards
Pituitary gland releases what hormones
TSH
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
prolactin
thyroid gland releases what hormone
thyroid hormone
Adrenal gland releases what hormones
cortisol
catecholamines
parathyroid gland releases what hormones
parathyroid hormone
pancreas releases what hormones
glucagon
hypothalamus releases what hormones
thyrotropin- releasing hormone (TRH)
A 20-year-old female patient with tachycardia and weight loss but no optic symptoms presents with the following laboratory values: decreased TSH, increased T3, and increased T4 and free T4. A pregnancy test is negative. What is the initial treatment for this patient?
A. Beta blocker medications
B. Radioiodine therapy
C. Surgical resection of the thyroid gland
D. Thionamide therapy
A. Beta blocker medications
Beta blockers should be initiated for patients with Graves’ disease to alleviate the alpha-adrenergic symptoms of the hyperthyroidism. Radioiodine therapy is used for patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy. Surgical resection is performed for pregnant women who cannot be managed with thioamides or for patients who refuse radioiodine therapy. Thioamide therapy is recommended for patients younger than 20 years old, pregnant women, those with a high likelihood of remission, and those with active Graves’ Orbitopathy
A female patient with hypothyroidism for the past 5 years presents for a positive home pregnancy test. She is taking levothyroxine 75 mcg daily and her TSH was 2.5 mIU/L six months ago at her routine physical. The nurse practitioner understands which of the following?
A. She will need to stop taking her medication and switch to a natural thyroid hormone replacement
B. She should continue taking her current dose of levothyroxine and have her TSH level checked at the end of the first trimester
C. Reduce her levothyroxine dose since thyroid requirements are lower in the first trimester of pregnancy
D. Thyroid requirements increase by 20-30% in pregnancy so she should have a TSH checked today
D. Thyroid requirements increase by 20-30% in pregnancy so she should have a TSH checked today
Thyroid requirements increase by 20-30% during pregnancy. The TSH should be less than 2.5 during the first trimester. Untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy can have detrimental effects such as miscarriage and low birth weight. Levothyroxine is safe during pregnancy. TSH should be monitored at least once during each trimester, and is recommended every 4 weeks in the first and second.
A postpartum woman develops fatigue, weight gain, and constipation. Laboratory values reveal elevated TSH and decreased T3 and T4 levels. What will the nurse practitioner tell this patient?
A. A thyroidectomy will be necessary.
B. She should be referred to an endocrinologist.
C. She will need lifelong medication.
D. This condition may be transient.
D. This condition may be transient.
Postpartum hypothyroidism may be a transient condition and does not require surgical intervention, referral to a specialist, or lifelong medication unless it proves to be long-standing or refractory to treatment.
A patient has a thyroid nodule and the nurse practitioner suspects thyroid cancer. To evaluate thyroid nodules for potential malignancy, which test is performed?
A. Radionucleotide imaging
B. Serum calcitonin
C. Serum TSH level
D. Thyroid ultrasound
D. Thyroid ultrasound
Thyroid ultrasound evaluation should be performed for all patients with known thyroid nodules; high-resolution sonography can clearly distinguish between solid and cystic components. Radionucleotide imaging is not specific; many cold nodules are benign. The routine measurement of serum calcitonin levels is not useful or cost-effective. TSH levels are not specific to malignancy
Hypothyroidism labs
elevated TSH
low free T4
hyperthyroidism labs
low TSH
elevated free T4
Subclinical hypothyroidism labs
elevated TSH
normal free T4
Hypothyroidism d/t pituitary dysfunction labs
normal TSH
low free T4
euthyroid labs
normal TSH
normal free T4
A 40-year-old patient with primary hyperparathyroidism has increased serum calcium 0.5 mg/dL above normal without signs of nephrolithiasis. What is the recommended treatment for this patient?
A. Annual monitoring of calcium, creatinine, and bone density
B. Avoidance of weight-bearing exercises
C. Decreasing calcium and vitamin D intake until values normal
D. Parathyroidectomy
A. Annual monitoring of calcium, creatinine, and bone density
Medical management of primary hyperparathyroidism involves close monitoring of serum calcium and creatinine and bone density screenings. Weight-bearing exercises should be encouraged, and vitamin D and calcium intake should be adequate, not decreased. This patient does not meet criteria for parathyroidectomy because of age less than 50 years and serum calcium less than 1 mg/dL above the upper limit of normal.
Which of the following is true regarding Cushing disease?
A. Chronic use of systemic corticosteroids is the most common form of endogenous Cushing syndrome
B. The pathophysiology involves suppression of the adrenal gland leading to decreased production of cortisol
C. Levels of corticotropin releasing hormone are increased
D. Increased production of ACTH stimulates increased production of cortisol by the adrenal glands
D. Increased production of ACTH stimulates increased production of cortisol by the adrenal glands
Cushing disease is caused by the increased production of ACTH which then stimulates cortisol production from the adrenals. This leads to development of Cushing syndrome. Cushing disease accounts for 70% of Cushing syndrome. Corticosteroid use is a cause of exogenous Cushing syndrome which is due to suppression of the HPA axis.
Which of the following are symptoms of hyperparathyroidism? (Select all that apply.)
A. Chvostek’s sign
B. Cognitive impairment
C. Left ventricular hypertrophy
D. Perioral paresthesias
E. Renal calculi
B. Cognitive impairment
C. Left ventricular hypertrophy
E. Renal calculi
Cognitive impairment, left ventricular hypertrophy, and renal calculi all occur with hyperparathyroidism. Chvostek’s sign and perioral paresthesias occur with hypoparathyroidism.
Which laboratory values representing parathyroid hormone (PTH) and serum calcium are consistent with a diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism?
A. Appropriately high PTH along with hypocalcemia
B. Appropriately increased PTH and low or normal serum calcium
C. Inappropriate secretion of PTH along with hypercalcemia
D. Prolonged inappropriate secretion of PTH with subsequent hypercalcemia
C. Inappropriate secretion of PTH along with hypercalcemia
Primary hyperparathyroidism is characterized by the inappropriate secretion of PTH in the setting of hypercalcemia. Appropriately high PTH with hypocalcemia characterizes hypoparathyroidism. An appropriately increased secretion of PTH with low or normal serum calcium is characteristic of secondary hyperparathyroidism. Prolonged inappropriate secretion of PTH in which hypercalcemia develops is tertiary hyperparathyroidism.
A 25-year-old female patient presents with bilateral galactorrhea and irregular menses. She has a normal breast exam. In addition to checking a prolactin level, which of the following should be included in the initial work up?
A. Breast mammography
B. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)
C. MRI of the pituitary gland
D. Estradiol level
B. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)
Patients with symptoms of a prolactinoma should have a TSH, T4, HCG (woman of childbearing age), BUN, Creatinine, prolactin hormone, and liver transaminase. She does not require a mammogram since her breast exam is normal and symptoms are bilateral. Pituitary MRI may be needed, but it is not part of the initial work up. Estradiol is not included in the work up.
You meet with the patient and his husband to go over the test results and explain the diagnosis of diabetes. Given his age, body habitus, and lack of exercise, you feel certain that this patient has type 2 diabetes. You provide some basic education on the nature of diabetes, its natural history, and what can be done to manage it.
What is the most important next step for this patient?
A. Initiation of insulin therapy
B. Initiation of an ACE inhibitor
C. Referral to an endocrinologist
D. Diabetic education classes
E. Initiation of glyburide or other sulfonylurea
D. Diabetic education classes
A general education program that includes information on diet, disease management, and the family’s role in successful diabetes care is the most important intervention listed. While specialist consultation may be useful in complex diabetic patients or in those who are not responding to treatment, primary care physicians provide care to the majority of patients with diabetes. Insulin therapy is not indicated at this point, and an ACE inhibitor may or may not be helpful depending on the patient’s blood pressure and urine protein. “E” is also incorrect
The pathologic factors involved in type 2 diabetes in adults include:
A. Pancreatic beta-cell destruction through a yet undetermined infectious process
B. The production of anti-insulin antibodies that cause precipitation of , insulin, /antibody complexes
C. Resistance to the effects of , insulin, at peripheral tissues and , a, relative , insulin, deficiency that is progressive over time
D. An autosomal-dominant process, with the diabetes gene located on the long arm of chromosome 18
E. Too much exercise and a complete lack of a “beer gut”
C. Resistance to the effects of , insulin, at peripheral tissues and , a, relative , insulin, deficiency that is progressive over time
DM2 is the result of the development of insulin resistance at the peripheral tissues (e.g., fat and muscle cells) and a relative lack of insulin compared to the increasing amount that the body requires. “A” is incorrect. Autoimmune destruction of beta-cells in the pancreas is responsible for causing DM1. “B” is incorrect, although there are anti-insulin antibodies found in DM1. “D” is incorrect as well, but there is a strong genetic component to DM2. The exact genetic factors that cause DM2 in adults have not been completely elucidated, but no single responsible gene is transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion. “E” is incorrect because lack of exercise, weight gain, dietary factors, and truncal obesity (the “beer gut”) predispose persons to the development of DM2.
At the next visit, you review the patient’s medical record and try to assure that he is up to date on his preventive health care.
Which of the following is NOT true regarding preventive services in diabetics?
A. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should have a dilated eye examination at the time of diagnosis
B. Patients with type 1 diabetes should have a dilated eye examination at the time of diagnosis if they are over age 12
C. A urine microalbumin should be checked at least yearly in all type 2 diabetics
D. A foot examination using a 10-g nylon microfilament should be done annually for all diabetics
B. Patients with type 1 diabetes should have a dilated eye examination at the time of diagnosis if they are over age 12
Patients with diabetes type 1 should have an eye examination 3 to 5 years after the diagnosis and then yearly. Age at the time of diagnosis is not a factor in determining when an eye examination should be done. See Table 10-2 for components of recommended diabetes follow-up.
You are seeing a new patient in your office. He is a 47-year-old man with a presenting complaint of fatigue for several months. He denies fever, rigors, cough, nausea, or diarrhea. He has lost about 10 lb. Upon questioning him you discover that he is also having nocturia and is thirsty all the time. He has asthma, for which he uses an albuterol-metered dose inhaler occasionally. He has no other chronic medical problems and takes no other medications on a regular basis. He has a family history of diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. He smokes about one pack per day, and he works as a teacher at the local high school. He is aware of no occupational exposure to toxins.
Physical examination reveals the following: T 37°C, BP 135/83 mm Hg, P 72 bpm, BMI 38 kg/m2. Aside from obesity, the remainder of the examination is normal.
Laboratory test results reveal the following: normal CBC, BUN/creatinine, and electrolytes. You ask him to return to the office the next day for fasting laboratory tests, which reveal a fasting glucose of 123 mg/dL and an HbA1c of 7.5%.
Does this patient have diabetes?
A. Yes; he has an elevated fasting glucose
B. Probably; he needs a second fasting glucose to confirm the diagnosis
C. Probably; he needs a second HbA1c to confirm the diagnosis
D. Yes; he has the classic symptoms of diabetes: fatigue, weight loss, and thirst, associated with an elevated glucose
E. Probably not; his HbA1c is not >8%
C. Probably; he needs a second HbA1c to confirm the diagnosis
If results of two different diagnostic tests for DM are discordant, the test that is diagnostic of diabetes should be repeated. “A” and “B” are incorrect because the fasting glucose is <126 mg/dL (the threshold for diabetes). “D” is incorrect because we do not have his random glucose value that is ≥200 mg/dL. “E” is incorrect because the A1c cutoff for diabetes diagnosis is ≥6.5%.