USMLE Old NBME question clarification - Asthma Drugs

[sahell]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I've been doing the old NBMEs and came across a question of which pathway to inhibit for severity reduction. The key and some other posts say 5-lipoxygenase inhibition. Zileuton makes sense but wouldn't steroid inhibition of phospholipase a2 be a better answer?

 

[Reekx94]

Why would you wanna block prostaglandins as well? Seems unnecessary.

 

[sahell]

Not that I want to knock out PGs. It's just that I believe inhaled corticosteroids are preferred to zileuton. Treatment guidelines have them both so I'm confused.

 

[Rahas]

Could you post the exact question?

 

[sahell]

It was posted a while back Nbme 3 spoiler alert!!!!!!!
Question 3

 

[Rahas]

Phospholipase A2 isn't in the answer choices, its phospholipase A1. Hence the confusion.

Gotta be careful reading these questions, stuff like this is farily common.

 

[sahell]

Good catch. I hate it when the fine print gets me!

 

[Reekx94]

It is phospholipase A2? FA 2017 p455