Dementia: ABFM practice questions

9 board-style questions on dementia in the PulseMD family medicine question bank, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

An 82-year-old nursing home resident with known mild Alzheimer's disease is brought to the emergency department after becoming acutely agitated and confused over the past 24 hours. She is pulling at her IV line and is intermittently drowsy then hyperalert. Her caregiver reports that her confusion is significantly worse than baseline. Vitals: T 38.6C, HR 102, BP 148/82. Which feature most reliably distinguishes her current presentation as delirium superimposed on dementia rather than progression of dementia alone?

  1. Inability to perform activities of daily living
  2. Disorientation to time and place
  3. Presence of visual hallucinations
  4. Acute onset with fluctuating level of consciousness

Sample question 2

A 78-year-old man with moderate Alzheimer's disease has been exhibiting increased agitation and verbal aggression during evening hours ("sundowning"). His wife, the primary caregiver, asks for help. No acute medical cause is identified. What is the most appropriate first-line intervention?

  1. Implement non-pharmacologic strategies including structured routines, adequate lighting, and reducing stimulation
  2. Start haloperidol 2 mg twice daily
  3. Start quetiapine 200 mg at bedtime
  4. Start lorazepam 0.5 mg three times daily

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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