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NBME 24 Answers

nbme24/Block 3/Question#6 (reveal difficulty score)
A 43-year-old woman comes to the physician ...
Alkaline phosphatase ๐Ÿ” / ๐Ÿ“บ / ๐ŸŒณ / ๐Ÿ“–
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 +9  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—lm4(23)
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in the exocrine pancreas, gallbladder, and liver pathology section of pathoma, sattar mentions that the epithelium lining biliary tract has alkaline phosphatase so when they are damaged it releases this, increasing serum alk phos.

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lilyo  Cholestasis will present with elevated conjugated bilirubin, Alkaline phosphatase, GGT. Depending on the cause for cholestasis it can present with pale stools and dark urine. This patient has cholestasis due to choledocolithiasis. Look at FA 2019 page 390. +
sars  From what I understand, this could be acute cholangitis (inflammation of the bile duct-charcot triad-hypotension, RUQ pain, jaundice). Biggest risk factor for this is choledocholithiasis. Damage to bile ducts releases ALP and GGT. Thanks +1
jbrito718  This lady has Primary Biliary Cholangitis. Yeezy taught me +1

Cholestasis will present with elevated conjugated bilirubin, elevated Alkaline phosphatase, and increased GGT. Depending on the cause for cholestasis it can present with pale stools and dark urine.

+/- lilyo(94)


 +4  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—yotsubato(1208)
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ALT and AST are enzymes within hepatocytes. Without hepatocyte damage, you wont have elevations.

Alkaline phosphatase is present in all tissues throughout the entire body, but is particularly concentrated in the liver, bile duct, kidney, bone, intestinal mucosa and placenta.

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 +2  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—m-ice(370)
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This patient has a gallstone lodged in the common bile duct. Therefore, the markers most likely to be elevated is something from the biliary tract, the best of which is alkaline phosphatase. There could potentially be elevations in AST and ALT, but this is not the MOST likely answer. Unconjugated bilirubin is not a good answer, because the liver can still conjugate all bilirubin, it just has issues now excreting that conjugated form. So the woman's CONJUGATED bilirubin is more likely to be elevated.

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 +1  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—lilyo(94)
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Cholestasis will present with elevated conjugated bilirubin, Alkaline phosphatase, GGT. Depending on the cause for cholestasis it can present with pale stools and dark urine.

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 +0  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—an1(114)
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High Alkaline phosphates (bone, GB, liver)--> test the GGT

High GGT indicates gall bladder issue (ALKP >> AST & ALT)

Low GGT is liver disease (ALKP << AST & ALT)

Bilirubin is high in both

Unconjugated is high when there's a def of UDP-glucoronylase. This guy has stones in the CBD; they can't get out. that's going to be increased conjugated bilirubin

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