Nutrition: riboflavin deficiency: practice question

A PSM 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.

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PSM · Nutrition: riboflavin deficiency

Sample item

A girl in a hostel mess with a diet lacking milk, eggs and green leafy vegetables has fissures at the corners of the mouth, a magenta tongue and seborrhoeic dermatitis of the nasolabial folds. Which deficiency is most likely?

AZincBRiboflavinCNiacinDVitamin C

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

The answer and the reasoning

B. Riboflavin

Riboflavin deficiency produces angular stomatitis, cheilosis, glossitis with a magenta tongue and seborrhoeic dermatitis. Milk, eggs, liver and green leafy vegetables are good sources. Riboflavin is destroyed by light, so milk kept in clear bottles loses it.

Option by option

A. Zinc
Zinc deficiency causes acral dermatitis, poor wound healing and growth failure.
B. Riboflavin (correct)
Correct. Angular stomatitis, magenta tongue and seborrhoeic dermatitis point to riboflavin deficiency.
C. Niacin
Niacin deficiency causes pellagra with photosensitive dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.
D. Vitamin C
Vitamin C deficiency causes bleeding gums and perifollicular haemorrhage.

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.

Questions about this PSM question

What is the answer to this PSM question?

The best answer is B, Riboflavin. Riboflavin deficiency produces angular stomatitis, cheilosis, glossitis with a magenta tongue and seborrhoeic dermatitis.

Why is "Zinc" not the answer?

Zinc deficiency causes acral dermatitis, poor wound healing and growth failure.

Why is "Niacin" not the answer?

Niacin deficiency causes pellagra with photosensitive dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.

Why is "Vitamin C" not the answer?

Vitamin C deficiency causes bleeding gums and perifollicular haemorrhage.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Nutrition: riboflavin deficiency in PSM. Milk, eggs, liver and green leafy vegetables are good sources. Riboflavin is destroyed by light, so milk kept in clear bottles loses it.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. 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 Nutrition: riboflavin deficiency?

Practise biostatistics with small calculations until sensitivity, predictive values and risk measures are automatic. Then use the flashcards and the other PSM 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.