Deck 14: Sensory Function

Question 1

A 6-year-old child is brought to the pediatric clinic with an eye problem. The child is diagnosed with viral conjunctivitis. What is important information to discuss with the parents and child?

A) The importance of compliance with antibiotic therapy
B) The importance of surgery to prevent scarring of the conjunctiva
C) The condition is highly contagious and hand washing is extremely important
D) The signs and symptoms of complications such as meningitis and septicemia

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A nurse cares for an elderly patient with moderate hearing loss. The nurse should teach the patient's family to use which of the following approaches when speaking to the patient?

A) Raise your voice until the patient is able to hear you.
B) Face the patient and speak quickly using a high voice.
C) Face the patient and speak slowly using a slightly lowered voice.
D) Use facial expressions and speak as you would normally.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The modulation of pain by small and large fibers to specialized cells is a description of:

A) specificity theory.
B) gate theory.
C) intensity theory.
D) pattern theory.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In which part of the spinal cord is the place where first-order neurons, second-order neurons, and interneurons converge?

A) Dorsal horn
B) Anterior column
C) Ventral column
D) Spinothalamic tract

Question 5

__________ reduce and block nociceptive input.

A) C fibers
B) Aδ fibers (delta fibers)
C) Aβ fibers (beta fibers)
D) B fibers

Question 6

Dextromethorphan is a common ingredient in several over-the-counter cough medicines. Dextromethorphan in high doses can create a "high" with feelings of euphoria and hallucinations and has been abused. The reason for this effect is that dextromethorphan:

A) decreases inhibitory mechanisms.
B) is an N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist.
C) is an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist.
D) stimulates Aβ fibers (beta fibers).

Question 7

The phenomenon in which less provocation is needed to cause pain or perceived pain increases with the same level of stimuli occurs as a result of:

A) decreased serotonin uptake.
B) N-methyl-D-aspartate activation.
C) increased inhibitory mechanisms.
D) neurons that are excitable and spontaneously discharge.

Question 8

A patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus is complaining of numbness, tingling, and occasional burning in his feet. This is a description of __________ pain.

A) neuropathic
B) referred
C) visceral
D) intractable

Question 9

When flying, people can sense a "popping" in their ears. This occurs because the:

A) eustachian tubes open to release the pressure in the middle ear.
B) eustachian tubes are dysfunctional.
C) tympanic membrane vibrations increase in response to pressure changes.
D) middle ear pressure is being sent through the oval window to the inner ear.

Question 10

A patient sustained a traumatic amputation below his knee due to a motor vehicle accident. He is experiencing phantom pain and wants to know how this could be happening if his leg is gone. You explain that phantom pain occurs because:

A) the incision where the amputation occurred is still healing.
B) spinal cord neurons still send pain signals to the brain.
C) large C fibers are overstimulated.
D) inhibitory pain signals are diminished.

Question 11

A 45-year-old man started having difficulty with reading things. He states, "I guess it's my time for reading glasses because I am getting older." He wants to know why this happens. You explain that with aging the:

A) eye muscles weaken and therefore the eyes don't move as well.
B) fat pads supporting the eye decrease.
C) vitreous humor, which is like a gel supporting the eye, liquefies, altering vision signals.
D) lens loses its ability to change shape, which diminishes focusing capacity.

Question 12

A 35-year-old woman is complaining of itchy, red, and watery eyes and sneezing with clear nasal discharge. She denies a cough, fever, sore throat, or facial pain. She has a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus, and she had asthma when she was a child. The cause of this conjunctivitis is:

A) allergies.
B) viral.
C) bacterial.
D) excessive dryness.

Question 13

A 30-year-old is complaining of her left eye being red, with watery discharge, and it feels like she has something in it. She also states her eye hurts and she has photophobia. She said it started 1 day ago. She denies a cough, fever, sore throat, or facial pain. She wears daily disposable contacts and sometimes she falls asleep with them on. She has no significant past medical history and denies history of allergies. On examination, her eye is red around the cornea, the pupil reacts briskly, and the lens has a slight opacity. A likely diagnosis is:

A) viral conjunctivitis.
B) bacterial conjunctivitis.
C) keratitis.
D) acute angle glaucoma.

Question 14

A mother brings in her infant because she noticed that she has tearing in her left eye that comes and goes, and she noticed discharge that accumulates in the inner aspect of her eye. On examination, conjunctival erythema is absent, and on palpation of the lacrimal sac, tears and mucoid discharge is noted. The infant is diagnosed with dacryocystitis. Strategies to teach the mom to care for this include:

A) applying warm compresses and gentle massaging the lacrimal sac.
B) patching the affected eye.
C) irrigating the affected eye daily with sterile normal saline.
D) using artificial tears 1-2 times a day.

Question 15

A common organism causing acute otitis media in children is:

A) Escherichia coli.
B) Staphylococcus aureus.
C) Haemophilus influenzae.
D) Chlamydia pneumonia.

Question 16

Complications of acute otitis media include:

A) sensorineural hearing loss.
B) conductive hearing loss.
C) ruptured tympanic membrane.
D) difficulty with swallowing.
E) conductive hearing loss and ruptured tympanic membrane.