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Pathophysiology and Disease Processes practice questions for the CCMA exam

Pathophysiology and Disease Processes is part of Anatomy and Physiology, which is 8 of the 150 scored questions on the CCMA exam. Try 5 free questions below; open each one to see the answer, why the other options are wrong and the sources.

Question 1

A nonpregnant adult's fasting plasma glucose result is 112 mg/dL. Under ADA cutoffs, this value falls in which range?

  1. Prediabetes
  2. Normal
  3. Diabetes
  4. Hypoglycemia
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Prediabetes

A fasting plasma glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL is the prediabetes range; 99 or below is normal and 126 or above is diabetes. The provider interprets the result for the patient.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Normal: Normal fasting glucose is 99 mg/dL or below.
  • C. Diabetes: The diabetes range begins at 126 mg/dL fasting.
  • D. Hypoglycemia: 112 mg/dL is above normal, not low.

Sources

Question 2

A patient receiving chemotherapy has been told her white blood cell count is low. She asks the MA how to avoid getting sick. Which provider-approved teaching point is most appropriate?

  1. Skip some meals each day to give your digestive system more time to rest
  2. Wash your hands often, especially before eating
  3. Spend time with friends who have colds so your body can build up immunity
  4. Stop your chemotherapy on your own until your blood counts return to normal
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Wash your hands often, especially before eating

NCI explains chemotherapy can lower neutrophils and raise infection risk. Washing hands often and well, especially before eating, and having others do the same helps prevent infection.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Skip some meals each day to give your digestive system more time to rest: Poor nutrition weakens the immune system and raises infection risk.
  • C. Spend time with friends who have colds so your body can build up immunity: Exposure to sick people raises infection risk when counts are low.
  • D. Stop your chemotherapy on your own until your blood counts return to normal: Changing treatment is the provider's decision, not MA advice.

Sources

Question 3

A clinic serves 12,000 patients. On today's date, 600 of them have a diagnosis of asthma. What is the prevalence of asthma among the clinic's patients?

  1. 0.5%
  2. 2%
  3. 5%
  4. 20%
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. 5%

Prevalence = existing cases / population = 600 / 12,000 = 0.05, or 5%. Prevalence counts everyone with the condition at that point in time.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. 0.5%: 0.5% would be 60 cases out of 12,000.
  • B. 2%: 2% would be 240 cases out of 12,000.
  • D. 20%: 20% inverts the ratio (12,000 / 600 = 20).

Sources

Question 4

How can heavy menstrual periods lead to iron-deficiency anemia?

  1. Menstrual bleeding damages the kidneys so they stop filtering iron
  2. Blood loss removes iron needed to make red blood cells
  3. Hormone changes stop the bone marrow from making white blood cells
  4. Monthly bleeding causes the body to absorb too much iron
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Blood loss removes iron needed to make red blood cells

NHLBI explains that the body needs iron to make healthy red blood cells, and losing blood means losing iron. Heavy periods are one listed cause.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Menstrual bleeding damages the kidneys so they stop filtering iron: Menstrual bleeding does not damage the kidneys.
  • C. Hormone changes stop the bone marrow from making white blood cells: Iron-deficiency anemia involves red blood cells, not white blood cells.
  • D. Monthly bleeding causes the body to absorb too much iron: Absorbing too much iron would not cause iron deficiency.

Sources

Question 5

Which statement correctly distinguishes rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from osteoarthritis (OA)?

  1. RA is cartilage breakdown; OA is an autoimmune attack on the joint lining
  2. RA affects only the knees and hips; OA affects only the wrists and fingers
  3. RA is an autoimmune attack on the joint lining; OA is cartilage breakdown
  4. RA is caused by uric acid crystals; OA is caused by a viral infection
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. RA is an autoimmune attack on the joint lining; OA is cartilage breakdown

MedlinePlus explains that RA is an autoimmune disease affecting the joint lining, while OA, the most common arthritis, occurs when the cartilage covering the bone ends breaks down.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. RA is cartilage breakdown; OA is an autoimmune attack on the joint lining: This reverses the two diseases.
  • B. RA affects only the knees and hips; OA affects only the wrists and fingers: RA is most common in the wrists and fingers, and OA often affects knees, hips, hands, neck, and lower back.
  • D. RA is caused by uric acid crystals; OA is caused by a viral infection: Uric acid crystals cause gout, and OA is not caused by a virus.

Sources

Pathophysiology and Disease Processes terms

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