MedStudy 2014 Internal Medicine Board-Style Answers

IMPORTANT: These Q&A books are meant to be used as an adjunct to the MedStudy Internal Medicine Review Core Curriculum. The ABIM exams cover a vast realm of diagnostic and treatment knowledge. Board-simulation exercise such as these self-testing Q&As are valuable tools, but these alone are not adequate preparation for a Board exam. Be sure you use a comprehensive IM review resource such as the MedStudy Core Curriculum in addition to these Q&As for adequate exam preparation. Content: The primary purpose of this activity is educational. Medicine and accepted standards of care are constantly changing. We at MedStudy do our best to review and include in this activity accurate discussions of the standards of care, methods of diagnosis, and selection of treatments. However, the authors/presenters, editors, advisors, and publisher—and all other parties involved with the preparation of this work—disclaim any guarantee that the information contained in this activity and its associated materials is in every respect accurate or complete. MedStudy further disclaims any and all liability for damages and claims that may result from the use of information or viewpoints presented. We recommend you confirm the information contained in this activity and in any other educational material with current sources of medical knowledge whenever considering actual clinical presentations or treating patients. ABIM: For over 20 years, MedStudy has excelled in determining and teaching what a clinically competent Internal Medicine physician should know. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) tests this exact same pool of knowledge. MedStudy’s expertise, demonstrated by the superb pass rate of those who use it in their studies, is in the actual “teaching” of this knowledge in a clear, learner-friendly manner that results in a stronger knowledge base, improved clinical skills, and better Board results. Although what we teach is in sync with what the Boards test, MedStudy has no affiliation with the ABIM, and our authors, editors, and reviewers have no access to ABIM exam content. Our material is developed as original work by MedStudy physician authors, with additional input from expert contributors, based on their extensive backgrounds in professional medical education. This content is designed to include subject matter typically tested in certification and recertification exams as outlined in the ABIM’s publicly available exam blueprints but makes no use of, and divulges no details of, ABIM’s proprietary exam content. A note on editorial style: MedStudy uses a standardized approach to the naming of diseases. The previous method of naming was to use the possessive form that adds “’s” to the names of diseases and disorders, such as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Klinefelter’s syndrome, and others. In MedStudy material, you will see the non-possessive form when the proper name is followed by a common noun; e.g., “This patient would warrant workup for Crohn disease.” Exceptions to the possessive form include Bell’s palsy and Still’s murmur. The possessive form will be used, however, when an entity is referred to solely by its proper name without a following common noun; e.g., “The symptoms are classic for Crohn’s.” The AMA Manual of Style, JAMA®, and Scientific Style and Format are among the publications that promote and use the non-possessive form for all disease names.