The American Medical Association (AMA) is helping those studying for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 exam by highlighting questions on its website that test preppers often miss.
The following question from Kaplan Medical is one of the latest in the series posted on the AMA website:
"A 48-year-old man comes to the physician for a routine health maintenance examination. He has had no chest pain, shortness of breath or palpitations. His medical history is unremarkable and he takes no medications. He does not smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or use illicit drugs. He weighs 203 pounds and he is 5 feet 8 inches tall. Body mass index is 29. His blood pressure is 145/82 mm Hg and his pulse is 92/minute. Examination shows no other abnormalities. Serum electrolyte levels, complete blood count and cholesterol levels are within normal limits.
Which of the following screening tests is most appropriate in this patient?
A. Measurement of C-reactive protein.
B. Measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
C. Measurement of fasting plasma glucose.
D. Measurement of homocysteine.
E. Measurement of lipoprotein (a)."
The correct answer in this story problem is C. According to Kaplan Medical, C is correct because, according to the American Diabetes Association, adults with a BMI that is over 25 and adults over 25 should take a screening test for diabetes. It is also recommended that adults with hypertension be screened for diabetes in order to monitor their cardiovascular risk, and this patient has hypertension.
For other study test questions in the series, visit https://wire.ama-assn.org/education/usmle-prep.
