About Tea and Toasts

 

A 70 year-old English lady that lives alone is admitted to the hospital for evaluation of a leg wound that is not healing properly. The patient also complains of pain in muscle and bones. On the examination, you find some hemorrhagic lesions in the skin, including ecchymosis in buttocks and both legs and petechiaes in other areas of the skin. The nails show splinter hemorrhages. When asked about her dietetic habits, the patient refers that she is too old to eat so much, so she has a very frugal lunch and dinners based mainly in tea and toasts.

Laboratory examinations show normal blood coagulation tests and Hemoglobin of 9.8 g/dL

 

The treatment for the condition described above should consist mainly in the administration of the following vitamin:

 

a)     Ascorbic Acid

b)     Biotin

c)      Folic Acid

d)     Pantothenic acid

e)     Niacin

f)       Vitamin B1

g)     Vitamin B2

h)    Vitamin B6

i)       Vitamin B12

j)       Vitamin D

k)     Vitamin E

l)       Vitamin K

Q: About Micronutrients and pregnancy

 

A very anxious 30 year-old female patient goes  to your office because she is late 10 days.  The patient tells you that she is trying to have a baby,  since in a former pregnancy, two years ago, she lost a baby that was born with anencephaly. You indicate pregnancy tests but they do not confirm pregnancy.

Even when the pregnancy test were negatives, which of the following micronutrients you should prescribe to this patient?

 

a)     Ascorbate

 

b)     Calcium

 

c)      Cianocobalamine

 

d)     Folate

 

e)     Iron

 

f)       Niacin

 

g)     Riboflavin

 

h)    Vitamin A

 

i)       Vitamin D

 

j)       Vitamin E

 

k)     Vitamin K

 

Q: About dry eyes, dry skin…

 

A 45-year-old, overweight male patient  presents to his physician complaining of dry skin with rash episodes, a sensation of dry eyes and lost of vision, mainly at night.  During  questioning,  he says he lost 60 lbs. during the previous year, following a very strict fat-free diet that he modified from some readings.

 

Which of the following liposoluble vitamins could be deficient in the patient and causing the above described symptoms?

 

a)     Vitamin A

 

b)     Vitamin D

 

c)      Vitamin E

 

d)     Vitamin F

 

e)     Vitamin K