Hypertension: ABFM practice questions

15 board-style questions on hypertension 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

A 62-year-old African American man with no diabetes or chronic kidney disease presents with newly diagnosed hypertension. His blood pressure is 152/94 mmHg confirmed on two separate visits. BMI is 31 kg/m2, basic metabolic panel is normal, and urinalysis shows no proteinuria. According to ACC/AHA guidelines, which first-line antihypertensive class is preferred for this patient?

  1. Beta-blocker such as metoprolol
  2. Calcium channel blocker such as amlodipine
  3. Angiotensin receptor blocker such as losartan
  4. ACE inhibitor such as lisinopril

Sample question 2

A 28-year-old woman presents with severe hypertension (BP 186/112 mmHg). She reports episodic headaches, palpitations, and profuse sweating. She appears pale and tremulous during the visit. Heart rate is 108 bpm. Basic metabolic panel shows a glucose of 162 mg/dL. She takes no medications and has no family history of hypertension. What is the most appropriate initial diagnostic test?

  1. Overnight polysomnography
  2. Plasma free metanephrines
  3. Renal artery duplex ultrasound
  4. Aldosterone-to-renin ratio

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

PulseMD is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by the American Board of Family Medicine.