OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is vitamin A toxicity. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how vitamin A toxicity will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 15 year old boy comes to the clinic complaining of headaches that have been worsening for the past few weeks. She recently has been taking many multivitamins from the health food store that she visits often with her friends. Her temperature is 98.4°F, pulse is 80/min, respirations are 15/min, and blood pressure is 110/70 mm Hg. A funduscopic examination reveals the presence of mild papilledema. There are no focal neurological findings. A head CT is unremarkable, and a lumbar puncture/CSF analysis is non-contributory other then increased opening pressure during th tap. What might explain this patient’s presentation?
Explanation: headaches + recent history of increased vitamin intake = vitamin A toxicity
Page Updated: 11.19.2016