need help with your account or subscription? click here to email us (or see the contact page)
join telegramNEW! discord
jump to exam page:
search for anything ⋅ score predictor (โ€œpredict me!โ€)

Retired NBME 24 Answers

 +30  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—tinydoc(276)
get full access to all contentpick a username

This question is very sneaky, but in essence this is whats happening.

The accidental removal of the PTH glands during thyroidectomy โ‡’ โ†“ PTH

PTH normally: --in bone: โ†‘ removal of Caยฒโบ and Phophate from bone --in kidneys: โ†‘ Caยฒโบ reabsorption and โ†“ POโ‚„ยณโป reabsorption --โ†‘ conversion of 25, Hydroxyvitamin D to 1,25 Hydroxyvitamin D (Calcitriol - active form) via โ†‘ activity of 1-a Hydroxylase deficiency

Therefore a โ†“ PTH would lead to:

โ‡’ โ†‘ POโ‚„ยณโป โ‡’ โ†“ Caยฒโบ โ‡’ โ†“ 1,25 Hydroxyvitamin D

The question is sneaky (much like the rest of this exam) because someone who isnt focusing really hard or in a rush might pick the option C where phophate is โ†‘ and PTH is โ†“ BUT โ†“ 25 hydroxyvitamin D

This is wrong as only 1,25 hydroxyvitamin D would be decreased, the conversions before this are done by the skin (sunlight) and liver.

I really wish they would stop making the questions confusing PURELY for the sake of making them confusing. Isnt it enough that we have to know this ridiculous amount of information, without having them intentionally making it harder by pointing you to 1 answer choice but changing a minute detail to make you answer wrong. Or using a random ass nomenclature for a disease to avoid making it too simple (PSGN = "proliferative GN")

get full access to all contentpick a username
tinydoc  I literally got this wrong because I had the font zoomed in and assumed the 1 was on the line above like on uworld when it tries to squish the whole title in the same space x_X +1
hungrybox  Holy fuck they got me. They boomed me. The fucking NBME boomed me. +4
graciewacie9  Amen to the PSGN question. They got me on that one. lol +
msw  the psgn question is pinting to rapidly proliferating glomerulonephritis b/c the pt has developed acute renal failure within days of the insult +
msw  *pointing +
snoodle  HOLY GOD MY BRAIN FILLED IN THE 1. i had to read this explanation 4 times to finally see 25-hydroxyvitamin D and not 1,25. F U NBME +3
avocadotoast  this bs is prob why the question isnt on step 1 anymore +
zevvyt  so since conversion of 25 --> 1-25 is disrupted , would 25 be high? I know its not an answer choice, just wondering +2



 +1  upvote downvote
submitted by trazabone(16)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Kidney makes 1-25, hydroxy vitamin D. (calcitriol) 25-hydroxy vit D (calcidiol) is made in the liver, and hypoparathyroidism would not decrease its levels as it acts to increase 1-alpha hydroxylase in the kidney to increase calcitriol concentrations --> Ca/phosphate reabsorption from the bone and small intestine.

get full access to all contentpick a username
queezyfish  I'm confused about the phosphate level in questions like these. Decreased calcitriol would decrease phosphate absorption while PTH decrease lowers phosphate excretion. I'm assuming that the PTH decrease has the greater effect with serum phosphate levels? +2
mousie  PTH = "Phosphate trashing hormone" if PTH is high Phosphate must be low - they are always opposite (unless d/t renal failure then Phosphate will be high - kidneys will be unable to get rid of phosphate) So low Ca d/t low PTH does not effect 25 H. Vit D ... only 1,25 H Vit D (active Calcitriol)? +4
haliburton  Clarification because I was confused: PTH stimulates kidney to produce 1,25-(OH)2 D3 (calcitriol) via 1ฮฑ-hydroxylase in proximal convoluted tubule. Therefore, without parathyroid glands, low PTH, 25,D is not converted and therefore not down (normal or up). phosphate "trashed" by PTH as eloquently stated above. +1
zbird  Here the primary defect is high up from the parathyroid gland, there is decresed or no PTH which normally trashes phosphate but not in this case so serum PHOSPHATE INCREASES and the serum calcium is low because PTH should have prevented the urine calcium so there is calciuria and no resorption from bone-LOW CALCIUM, Vitamin-D is independent of PTH so stays NORMAL +



 +0  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—dentist(94)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Follow the Calcium and work backwards. โ†“Ca means โ†“ Phosphate resorption in the PCT (which pulls Ca with it)

25-hydrovitD normal b/c its unrelated to PTH.

get full access to all contentpick a username



Must-See Comments from nbme24

seagull on Intestinal mucosa
tissue creep on Ask the roommate not to smoke in the apartment
drdoom on Adenosine
seagull on Increased serum testosterone concentration
atstillisafraud on Lamins
niboonsh on Only cookies are independently associated ...
atstillisafraud on Scar formation
lamhtu on Decreased adherence
drachenx on Damage to the rectovaginal septum
drdoom on Intestinal mucosa
azibird on Coronavirus
lsmarshall on Organic acid metabolism disorder
sympathetikey on Inhalant abuse
tea-cats-biscuits on Eosinophils

search for anything NEW!