A 60-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Office Due to Frequent

question 410

Multiple Choice

A 60-year-old woman comes to the office due to frequent urination.  She gets up 3 times a night to urinate and drink water.  She has also noticed some mild hoarseness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.  Her eyes have been dry and "burning," for which she uses over-the-counter eye drops.  The patient has no history of chronic medical conditions but has smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 40 years.
Blood pressure is 144/78 mm Hg and pulse is 82/min and regular.  Physical examination is unremarkable.
Laboratory results are as follows:
Which of the following is most likely to establish the diagnosis in this patient?

• A)Chest CT scan with contrast
• B)Lower lip salivary gland biopsy
• C)Renal biopsy
• D)Urine and serum protein electrophoresis
• E)Viral hepatitis serologies

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Definitions:

Arrhythmia

An irregular heartbeat that can range from too fast, too slow, or erratic, disrupting normal heart rhythm.

Blood Pressure

The force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of the body's arteries, typically measured to assess heart and circulatory health.

Arterial Walls

The layers of tissue that form the outer structure of arteries, responsible for maintaining blood pressure and flow throughout the body.

Heart Contracts

The process by which the heart muscle actively tightens and relaxes to pump blood throughout the body.