PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAMINATION TEST 2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Ch. 1 #2 A community health nurse is teaching a group of recent
graduates about the large variety of factors that influence an individual's
health or lack thereof. The nurse is referring to the Healthy People 2020
report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a
teaching example. Of the following aspects discussed, which would be
considered a determinant of health that is outside the focus of this
report?
A) The client has a diverse background by being of Asian and Native
American descent and practices various alternative therapies to
minimize effects of stress.
B) The client has a family history of cardiovascular disease related to
hypercholesterolemia and remains noncompliant with the treatment
regime. C) The client has a good career with exceptional preventative
health care benefits.
D) The client lives in an affluent, clean, suburban community with
access to many health care facilities. Answer: Ans: B
In Healthy People 2020, the focus is to promote good health to all (such
as using alternative therapies to minimize effects of stress); achieving
health equity and promoting health for all (which includes having good
health care benefits); and promoting good health (which includes living
in a clean community with good access to health care). A client's
noncompliance with treatments to control high cholesterol levels within
,the presence of a family history of CV disease does not meet the
"attaining lives free of preventable disease and premature death"
determinant.
◉ Ch. 1 #3 A physician is providing care for a number of patients on a
medical unit of a large, university hospital. The physician is discussing
with a colleague the differentiation between diseases that are caused by
abnormal molecules and diseases that cause disease. Which of the
following patients most clearly demonstrates the consequences of
molecules that cause disease?
A) A 31-year-old woman with sickle cell anemia who is receiving a
transfusion of packed red blood cells
B) A 91-year-old woman who has experienced an ischemic stroke
resulting from familial hypercholesterolemia
C) A 19-year-old man with exacerbation of his cystic fibrosis requiring
oxygen therapy and chest physiotherapy
D) A 30-year-old homeless man who has Pneumocystis carinii
pneumonia (PCP) and is HIV positive. Answer: Ans: D
PCP is an example of the effect of a molecule that directly contributes to
disease. Sickle cell anemia, familial hypercholesterolemia, and cystic
fibrosis are all examples of the effects of abnormal molecules.
◉ Ch. 1 #4 A member of the health care team is researching the etiology
and pathogenesis of a number of clients who are under his care in a
hospital context. Which of the following aspects of clients' situations
best characterizes pathogenesis rather than etiology?
,A) A client who has been exposed to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis
bacterium
B) A client who has increasing serum ammonia levels due to liver
cirrhosis
C) A client who was admitted with the effects of methyl alcohol
poisoning
D) A client with multiple skeletal injuries secondary to a motor vehicle
accident. Answer: Ans: B
Pathogenesis refers to the progressive and evolutionary course of
disease, such as the increasing ammonia levels that accompany liver
disease. Bacteria, poisons, and traumatic injuries are examples of
etiologic factors.
◉ Ch. 1 #5 A new myocardial infarction patient requiring angioplasty
and stent placement has arrived to his first cardiac rehabilitation
appointment. In this first session, a review of the pathogenesis of
coronary artery disease is addressed. Which statement by the patient
verifies to the nurse that he has understood the nurse's teachings about
coronary artery disease?
A) "All I have to do is stop smoking, and then I won't have any more
heart attacks."
B) "My artery was clogged by fat, so I will need to stop eating fatty
foods like French fries every day."
C) "Sounds like this began because of inflammation inside my artery
that made it easy to form fatty streaks, which lead to my clogged artery."
, D) "If I do not exercise regularly to get my heart rate up, blood pools in
the veins causing a clot that stops blood flow to the muscle, and I will
have a heart attack.". Answer: Ans: C
The true etiology/cause of coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown;
however, the pathogenesis of the disorder relates to the progression of
the inflammatory process from a fatty streak to the occlusive vessel
lesion seen in people with coronary artery disease. Risk factors for CAD
revolve around cigarette smoking, diet high in fat, and lack of exercise.
◉ Ch. 1 #6 A 77-year-old man is a hospital inpatient admitted for
exacerbation of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
a respiratory therapist (RT) is assessing the client for the first time.
Which of the following aspects of the patient's current state of health
would be best characterized as a symptom rather than a sign?
A) The patient's oxygen saturation is 83% by pulse oxymetry.
B) The patient notes that he has increased work of breathing when lying
supine.
C) The RT hears diminished breath sounds to the patient's lower lung
fields bilaterally.
D) The patient's respiratory rate is 31 breaths/minute. Answer: Ans: B
Symptoms are subjective complaints by the person experiencing the
health problem, such as complaints of breathing difficulty. Oxygen
levels, listening to breath sounds, and respiratory rate are all objective,
observable signs of disease.