I posted this in another thread earlier, but if you're starting a threat purely for risk factors, it would fit better here:
-HTN is biggest risk factor for stroke; they'll try to trick you with atherosclerosis, DM, etc.
-Atherosclerosis is biggest risk factor for AAA (they'll try to confuse you by including HTN)
-HTN is biggest risk factor for aortic dissection (they'll try to confuse you by including atherosclerosis)
-In pt w/ diabetes, controlling blood glucose help slow down MICROvascular disease (retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy). It has no effect on MACROvascular disease (MI, strokes, etc). I had at least 2 questions regarding this on my actual exam.
-Smoking is huge risk factor for pancreatic cancer (they'll try to trick you with alcohol). However, the amount counts. If a pt smokes and drinks and developed pancreatic cancer, normally I would say smoking is the biggest risk factor. But if he had 5 pack years only, and has been chugging six-pack a day for the past 30 years, I would probably change to alcohol.
-In pt with ASCVD, prognosis is based on HDL rather than LDL. Low HDL is WORSE than high LDL.
-Statins for all diabetics age 40-75. They'll try to trick you with stone cold normal labs, and trying to make you select follow up next year. Showed up on the actual exam.
-Pt w/ lots of asbestos exposure is more likely to develop bronchogenic carcinoma, NOT mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is pathognomonic, so if you get it, you had to have been exposed to asbestos, but this cancer is very rare. Showed up on exam
-Silicosis risk factor for TB.
-Alcohol causes more pancreatitis than gallstones in US. Showed up on exam. Very annoying because Uworld says its 40% gallstone, 40% alcohol. Only got this question right because I got pimped on this by an attending.
-In US, autoimmune is most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency; in the developing nations, it's TB.
-Dermatomyositis has risk of GI malignancy, so CT these people. Showed up on exam.
-Neck radiation mostly increases risk of papillary thyroid CA
-know VACTERL (for peds); they'll give you at least 3 of the symptoms on a new born and ask you what else would you find on this baby. They'll try to trick you with other very general malformations, but they'll only give 1 other defect from the acronym, which is the right answer.
-Celiac's disease is a risk factor for GI cancer. On side note (pt with celiac disease can be negative for anti-ttg and anti-endomysial antibodies if they also have IgA deficiency because anti-ttg and antiendomysial are IgA; in which case check anti-gliadin antibody, which contains IgG). This showed up as a two part question for me.
-Know the risk factors that classify you into the >5mm, >10mm, >15mm categories of T-spot test. Had several questions on this. If you know it, easy points.
