A 4-Week-Old Boy Is Brought to the Office for a Routine

question 377

Multiple Choice

A 4-week-old boy is brought to the office for a routine well-baby visit.  The boy has been exclusively breastfeeding every 2-3 hours and is making 6 or 7 wet diapers a day.  His urine has appeared dark yellow, and he has had a few pale-colored stools.  His parents also noticed that his skin has appeared yellow for the past 2 weeks, but they were not concerned as they heard from friends that yellow skin is common with breastfeeding.  The patient was born full term without complications by vaginal delivery to a primigravida.  On physical examination, he is well-appearing with icteric sclerae and jaundice of the head and upper chest.  Abdominal examination reveals a mildly enlarged and firm liver.  Liver function results are as follows: Which of the following is the most likely mechanism for the patient's presentation?

• A)Extrahepatic obstruction of bile ducts
• B)Genetic mutation causing reduced glucuronidation
• C)Impaired galactose metabolism
• D)Increased enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin
• E)Maternal antibody-mediated red blood cell destruction

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Definitions:

Regression Models

Statistical models used to estimate the relationships among variables, often used to predict a dependent variable based on one or more independent variables.

Collinearity

A statistical phenomenon in which two or more predictor variables in a multiple regression model are highly correlated, potentially leading to unreliable estimates of the coefficients.

Intercorrelation

A statistical correlation between two or more variables or sets of data.

Simple Regression Analysis

Simple Regression Analysis is a statistical technique for estimating the relationship between a dependent variable and a single independent variable.