Gastroenterology: acute liver failure: practice question

A General Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

General Medicine · Gastroenterology: acute liver failure

Sample item

A patient with acute hepatitis develops INR elevation and new confusion without known cirrhosis. What syndrome is present?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Acute liver failure

Acute liver failure is acute hepatic injury with coagulopathy and encephalopathy in a person without established cirrhosis. It needs urgent specialist assessment because deterioration can be rapid.

Option by option

  • A. Simple viral gastroenteritis

    Gastroenteritis does not cause synthetic liver failure.

  • B. Irritable bowel syndrome

    IBS has no coagulopathy or encephalopathy.

  • C. Compensated chronic liver disease

    Compensated chronic disease does not cause acute encephalopathy and coagulopathy by definition.

  • D. Acute liver failure (correct)

    Correct. Coagulopathy plus encephalopathy defines acute liver failure in this setting.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Medicine questions

Questions about this General Medicine question

What is the answer to this General Medicine question?

The best answer is D, Acute liver failure. Acute liver failure is acute hepatic injury with coagulopathy and encephalopathy in a person without established cirrhosis.

Why is "Simple viral gastroenteritis" not the answer?

Gastroenteritis does not cause synthetic liver failure.

Why is "Irritable bowel syndrome" not the answer?

IBS has no coagulopathy or encephalopathy.

Why is "Compensated chronic liver disease" not the answer?

Compensated chronic disease does not cause acute encephalopathy and coagulopathy by definition.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Gastroenterology: acute liver failure in General Medicine. It needs urgent specialist assessment because deterioration can be rapid.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Gastroenterology: acute liver failure?

For each disease know the classic presentation, the best test, and the first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other General Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.