Asthma USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 19-year-old woman presents with episodic cough, wheezing, and chest tightness worsening with exercise and seasonal pollen exposure. Current vital signs show BP 118/76, HR 102, RR 22, SpO2 92% on room air. Chest auscultation reveals end-expiratory wheeze; heart sounds normal. Between episodes, physical examination is unremarkable. FEV1/FVC ratio is 0.68 during symptoms. She denies fever and productive sputum. Pulmonary function testing during current symptoms is most likely to show which of the following?
Answer choices
- AIncreased residual volume with no bronchodilator response and smoking history
- BDecreased total lung capacity with reduced compliance
- CNormal FEV1 to FVC ratio and markedly increased diffusion capacity
- DDecreased peak expiratory flow due to upper airway obstruction from epiglottitis
- EDecreased FEV1 to FVC ratio with improvement after bronchodilator useCorrect answer
- FDecreased FEV1/FVC ratio without bronchodilator reversibility indicating fixed obstructive disease
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