PRIMARY CARE ART AND SCIENCE OF
ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING TEST PAPER
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED
A+
◉ Dizziness and Vertigo
Differential Diagnosis:
Systemic Disorders. Answer: Systemic disorders may cause dizziness
or light-headedness. Patients typically complain of light-headedness
or feelings that they are about to faint or pass out. Dizziness may be
aggravated by postural changes or exertion.
Pallor, dyspnea, tachycardia, bounding pulse, weakness,
hypotension, blurred vision, decreased breath sounds, headache,
diaphoresis, and agitation suggest systemic problems.
These symptoms should prompt the practitioner to look for signs of
anemia, cardiovascular disease, hyperventilation, drug reactions,
endocrine disorders, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and
psychiatric problems.
Systemic diseases require diagnostic examination and treatment
that is specific for the cause of the dizziness.; orthostatics
◉ Dizziness and Vertigo
Differential Diagnosis:
,Central Nervous System Disorders. Answer: CNS disorders that
disrupt the pathway between the vestibular apparatus and the brain
may cause dizziness.
Facial numbness, hemiparesis, diplopia, dysarthria, headache,
nausea, and vomiting are some common signs and symptoms
suggesting CNS dysfunction.
Diagnostic examination and treatment depend on the underlying
disorder.; if orthostatics positive they need hydration. if they can't
keep anything down then they need ED for IV fluids
◉ Headache. Answer: One of the most common of all human
ailments is thought to be the headache. they sometimes restrict
activity, reduce the level of functioning, and decrease work
performance.
About 90% of all headaches are without pathologic cause, however
we must avoid underestimating the significance of headache as an
early manifestation of serious neurologic disease.
◉ Headaches: Classification. Answer: Headaches may be classified
into two general categories: primary and secondary headaches.
Primary headaches include tension-type headaches, migraines, and
cluster headaches.
,Secondary headaches are a symptom of an injury or an underlying
illness.; don't dismiss headache. chart cranial nerve exam and rule
out red flags even if patient sick
◉ Headaches: Classification continued Tension-type headache,.
Answer: also referred to as a muscle contraction headache, presents
as a mild to moderate bilateral, non-pulsating, tightening pain that is
not aggravated by routine physical activity. It is usually not
accompanied by nausea and vomiting or photophobia.
◉ Headaches: Classification continued Migraine headache. Answer:
may last for 4 to 72 hours and may or may not be precipitated by an
aura. It is usually unilateral, of moderate to severe intensity with a
pulsating quality, aggravated by routine physical activity, and
accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and photophobia.
◉ Headaches: Classification continued Cluster headache. Answer:
usually occurs at night and may last from 15 to 180 minutes. There
is usually severe unilateral orbital, supraorbital, and/or temporal
pain that is accompanied on the same side of the face with sweating,
lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, rhinorrhea, eyelid edema,
and/or conjunctival injection.
◉ Headache Classification headaches other than migraines and
migraine subtypes. Answer: The Headache Classification Committee
of the International Headache Society has a headache classification
system and operational diagnostic criteria for the different headache
, syndromes. This system was designed to describe and identify
headaches to allow for more accurate diagnosis and research.
*For primary headaches other than migraine, there are four
subgroups:
exertional headache
headaches associated with direct physical stimuli
epicranial headaches
and other hypnic (a sleep-related headache that occurs in the
elderly) headaches.
*Migraine has two major subtypes: migraine with aura and migraine
without aura.
The diagnosis of migraine with aura must include the presence of
one or more of the following fully reversible neurologic symptoms:
visual, motor, sensory, speech, brainstem, or retinal. The symptoms
of an aura typically develop gradually and are usually followed by a
headache. Auras are fully reversible and last 5 to 60 minutes.
For migraine without aura, two of the following characteristics are
required: unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate to severe
intensity, and exacerbation by physical activity. In addition, at least
one of the following must be present: nausea or vomiting,
photophobia, or phonophobia. Chronic migraines are classified as
those that occur on at least 15 days of the month for more than 3
months.
◉ Primary Headaches: A Comparison Tension type headache.
Answer: -Signs and symptoms- Nausea and vomiting
ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING TEST PAPER
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED
A+
◉ Dizziness and Vertigo
Differential Diagnosis:
Systemic Disorders. Answer: Systemic disorders may cause dizziness
or light-headedness. Patients typically complain of light-headedness
or feelings that they are about to faint or pass out. Dizziness may be
aggravated by postural changes or exertion.
Pallor, dyspnea, tachycardia, bounding pulse, weakness,
hypotension, blurred vision, decreased breath sounds, headache,
diaphoresis, and agitation suggest systemic problems.
These symptoms should prompt the practitioner to look for signs of
anemia, cardiovascular disease, hyperventilation, drug reactions,
endocrine disorders, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and
psychiatric problems.
Systemic diseases require diagnostic examination and treatment
that is specific for the cause of the dizziness.; orthostatics
◉ Dizziness and Vertigo
Differential Diagnosis:
,Central Nervous System Disorders. Answer: CNS disorders that
disrupt the pathway between the vestibular apparatus and the brain
may cause dizziness.
Facial numbness, hemiparesis, diplopia, dysarthria, headache,
nausea, and vomiting are some common signs and symptoms
suggesting CNS dysfunction.
Diagnostic examination and treatment depend on the underlying
disorder.; if orthostatics positive they need hydration. if they can't
keep anything down then they need ED for IV fluids
◉ Headache. Answer: One of the most common of all human
ailments is thought to be the headache. they sometimes restrict
activity, reduce the level of functioning, and decrease work
performance.
About 90% of all headaches are without pathologic cause, however
we must avoid underestimating the significance of headache as an
early manifestation of serious neurologic disease.
◉ Headaches: Classification. Answer: Headaches may be classified
into two general categories: primary and secondary headaches.
Primary headaches include tension-type headaches, migraines, and
cluster headaches.
,Secondary headaches are a symptom of an injury or an underlying
illness.; don't dismiss headache. chart cranial nerve exam and rule
out red flags even if patient sick
◉ Headaches: Classification continued Tension-type headache,.
Answer: also referred to as a muscle contraction headache, presents
as a mild to moderate bilateral, non-pulsating, tightening pain that is
not aggravated by routine physical activity. It is usually not
accompanied by nausea and vomiting or photophobia.
◉ Headaches: Classification continued Migraine headache. Answer:
may last for 4 to 72 hours and may or may not be precipitated by an
aura. It is usually unilateral, of moderate to severe intensity with a
pulsating quality, aggravated by routine physical activity, and
accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and photophobia.
◉ Headaches: Classification continued Cluster headache. Answer:
usually occurs at night and may last from 15 to 180 minutes. There
is usually severe unilateral orbital, supraorbital, and/or temporal
pain that is accompanied on the same side of the face with sweating,
lacrimation, nasal congestion, ptosis, rhinorrhea, eyelid edema,
and/or conjunctival injection.
◉ Headache Classification headaches other than migraines and
migraine subtypes. Answer: The Headache Classification Committee
of the International Headache Society has a headache classification
system and operational diagnostic criteria for the different headache
, syndromes. This system was designed to describe and identify
headaches to allow for more accurate diagnosis and research.
*For primary headaches other than migraine, there are four
subgroups:
exertional headache
headaches associated with direct physical stimuli
epicranial headaches
and other hypnic (a sleep-related headache that occurs in the
elderly) headaches.
*Migraine has two major subtypes: migraine with aura and migraine
without aura.
The diagnosis of migraine with aura must include the presence of
one or more of the following fully reversible neurologic symptoms:
visual, motor, sensory, speech, brainstem, or retinal. The symptoms
of an aura typically develop gradually and are usually followed by a
headache. Auras are fully reversible and last 5 to 60 minutes.
For migraine without aura, two of the following characteristics are
required: unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate to severe
intensity, and exacerbation by physical activity. In addition, at least
one of the following must be present: nausea or vomiting,
photophobia, or phonophobia. Chronic migraines are classified as
those that occur on at least 15 days of the month for more than 3
months.
◉ Primary Headaches: A Comparison Tension type headache.
Answer: -Signs and symptoms- Nausea and vomiting
