ABFM TEST 2026 VERIFIED QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS PASS GUIDE
◉ 70-year-old male presents with his wife because they are
concerned that he may be developing dementia. Among other
symptoms, he has a resting tremor and describes detailed
hallucinations that are colorful, vivid, and include animals. Which
one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
include: • delirium-like fluctuations in cognition with pronounced
variations in attention and alertness • hallucinations • spontaneous
parkinsonism features such as bradykinesia, resting tremor, or
rigidity • REM sleep behavior disorder (recurrent dream enactment
behavior that includes movements mimicking dream content and
absence of normal REM sleep atonia) Vivid, colorful hallucinations
occur in about 80% of patients with DLB. They can be three-
dimensional and tend to include people, children, or animals.
Patients are generally able to report these hallucinations to
physicians. While hallucinations can occur in other types of
dementia, they are a clinical signpost to the diagnosis of DLB.
◉ Newborn screening for critical congenital heart disease with pulse
oximetry is recommended for?
Answer: all infants, regardless of whether heart murmurs are
present, should be screened for critical congenital heart disease
using pulse oximetry in the right upper extremity and either of the
,lower extremities. The ideal time frame to conduct pulse oximetry is
24 hours or more after birth. False-positive results are more likely
when testing is performed within the first 24 hours of life. All infants
should be screened, not only those with clinical signs of hypoxemia.
◉ A 64-year-old female presents to your office with a 1-week history
of lesions on her legs (shown below). Her past medical history
includes GERD, hypertension, and obesity. Her current medications
include lisinopril (Zestril) and pantoprazole (Protonix). There is
tenderness over the lesions but no itching or discharge. She feels
well currently but recently completed a 3-day course of
sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim) for treatment of a
urinary tract infection. The lesions started to appear about 3-4 days
after finishing her course of antibiotics. She is normotensive and
afebrile. A physical examination is otherwise unremarkable. Which
one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Tender, symmetric erythematous nodules on the lower
extremities are consistent with erythema nodosum (EN), the most
common form of panniculitis. EN is a result of a hypersensitivity
reaction to an antigen. The nodules are usually of acute onset, 1-6
cm in diameter, and occur symmetrically on the pretibial areas but
can also appear on the thighs, ankles, and forearms. They generally
resolve without ulceration or scarring within 1-6 weeks. While the
etiology is usually unknown, they can be due to an infection (often
streptococcal), systemic disease (such as Behçet syndrome),
inflammatory bowel disease, sarcoidosis, or medications
(sulfonamides, penicillins, and oral contraceptives are most
common). Depending on the clinical picture and presence of
, systemic disease, the workup can include biopsy and laboratory
testing.
Necrobiosis lipoidica is strongly associated with diabetes mellitus,
and occurs as reddish-brown plaques on the anterior legs.
Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a rare, chronic, and idiopathic
granulomatous disease of collagen degeneration coagulation and is
characterized by large ecchymoses that evolve into bullae, then
black necrotic lesions. Patients are severely ill with associated
hypotension. Pyoderma gangrenosum is exquisitely tender with pain
out of proportion to appearance. It appears as a rapidly developing
large ulceration arising from an initial pustule or papule. Superficial
thrombophlebitis is characterized by tender isolated venous nodules
that are rarely numerous and symmetric.
◉ what is panniculitis?
Answer: Panniculitis (inflammation of the subcutaneous fat) is a
relatively uncommon condition that usually presents with
inflammatory nodules or plaques. A wide variety of subtypes of
panniculitis exist, including panniculitides related to infection,
external insults, malignancy, and inflammatory diseases
◉ what is necrobiosis lipoidica
Answer: Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a rare, chronic, and idiopathic
granulomatous disease of collagen degeneration
AND ANSWERS PASS GUIDE
◉ 70-year-old male presents with his wife because they are
concerned that he may be developing dementia. Among other
symptoms, he has a resting tremor and describes detailed
hallucinations that are colorful, vivid, and include animals. Which
one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
include: • delirium-like fluctuations in cognition with pronounced
variations in attention and alertness • hallucinations • spontaneous
parkinsonism features such as bradykinesia, resting tremor, or
rigidity • REM sleep behavior disorder (recurrent dream enactment
behavior that includes movements mimicking dream content and
absence of normal REM sleep atonia) Vivid, colorful hallucinations
occur in about 80% of patients with DLB. They can be three-
dimensional and tend to include people, children, or animals.
Patients are generally able to report these hallucinations to
physicians. While hallucinations can occur in other types of
dementia, they are a clinical signpost to the diagnosis of DLB.
◉ Newborn screening for critical congenital heart disease with pulse
oximetry is recommended for?
Answer: all infants, regardless of whether heart murmurs are
present, should be screened for critical congenital heart disease
using pulse oximetry in the right upper extremity and either of the
,lower extremities. The ideal time frame to conduct pulse oximetry is
24 hours or more after birth. False-positive results are more likely
when testing is performed within the first 24 hours of life. All infants
should be screened, not only those with clinical signs of hypoxemia.
◉ A 64-year-old female presents to your office with a 1-week history
of lesions on her legs (shown below). Her past medical history
includes GERD, hypertension, and obesity. Her current medications
include lisinopril (Zestril) and pantoprazole (Protonix). There is
tenderness over the lesions but no itching or discharge. She feels
well currently but recently completed a 3-day course of
sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim) for treatment of a
urinary tract infection. The lesions started to appear about 3-4 days
after finishing her course of antibiotics. She is normotensive and
afebrile. A physical examination is otherwise unremarkable. Which
one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Tender, symmetric erythematous nodules on the lower
extremities are consistent with erythema nodosum (EN), the most
common form of panniculitis. EN is a result of a hypersensitivity
reaction to an antigen. The nodules are usually of acute onset, 1-6
cm in diameter, and occur symmetrically on the pretibial areas but
can also appear on the thighs, ankles, and forearms. They generally
resolve without ulceration or scarring within 1-6 weeks. While the
etiology is usually unknown, they can be due to an infection (often
streptococcal), systemic disease (such as Behçet syndrome),
inflammatory bowel disease, sarcoidosis, or medications
(sulfonamides, penicillins, and oral contraceptives are most
common). Depending on the clinical picture and presence of
, systemic disease, the workup can include biopsy and laboratory
testing.
Necrobiosis lipoidica is strongly associated with diabetes mellitus,
and occurs as reddish-brown plaques on the anterior legs.
Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a rare, chronic, and idiopathic
granulomatous disease of collagen degeneration coagulation and is
characterized by large ecchymoses that evolve into bullae, then
black necrotic lesions. Patients are severely ill with associated
hypotension. Pyoderma gangrenosum is exquisitely tender with pain
out of proportion to appearance. It appears as a rapidly developing
large ulceration arising from an initial pustule or papule. Superficial
thrombophlebitis is characterized by tender isolated venous nodules
that are rarely numerous and symmetric.
◉ what is panniculitis?
Answer: Panniculitis (inflammation of the subcutaneous fat) is a
relatively uncommon condition that usually presents with
inflammatory nodules or plaques. A wide variety of subtypes of
panniculitis exist, including panniculitides related to infection,
external insults, malignancy, and inflammatory diseases
◉ what is necrobiosis lipoidica
Answer: Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a rare, chronic, and idiopathic
granulomatous disease of collagen degeneration
