GI bleeding: Heyde syndrome: practice question

A General Surgery 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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General Surgery · GI bleeding: Heyde syndrome

Sample item

An elderly man with calcific aortic stenosis has recurrent lower GI bleeding and iron deficiency. Colonoscopy shows right-sided angiodysplasia. Which pathophysiology explains the bleeding?

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

The answer and the reasoning

A. Acquired von Willebrand deficiency from shear stress

Heyde syndrome links aortic stenosis with gastrointestinal angiodysplasia and acquired type 2A von Willebrand syndrome, as high shear stress cleaves large vWF multimers. Aortic valve replacement often corrects the coagulopathy. Endoscopic therapy treats individual lesions.

Option by option

  • A. Acquired von Willebrand deficiency from shear stress (correct)

    Correct. Shear stress degrades von Willebrand factor multimers.

  • B. Vitamin K deficiency

    Vitamin K deficiency would raise INR and has no link with valve disease.

  • C. Platelet destruction by antibodies

    Immune thrombocytopenia is not the mechanism here.

  • D. Hemophilia A

    Haemophilia A is X-linked and congenital.

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 Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is A, Acquired von Willebrand deficiency from shear stress. Heyde syndrome links aortic stenosis with gastrointestinal angiodysplasia and acquired type 2A von Willebrand syndrome, as high shear stress cleaves large vWF multimers.

Why is "Vitamin K deficiency" not the answer?

Vitamin K deficiency would raise INR and has no link with valve disease.

Why is "Platelet destruction by antibodies" not the answer?

Immune thrombocytopenia is not the mechanism here.

Why is "Hemophilia A" not the answer?

Haemophilia A is X-linked and congenital.

What concept does this question test?

It tests GI bleeding: Heyde syndrome in General Surgery. Aortic valve replacement often corrects the coagulopathy. Endoscopic therapy treats individual lesions.

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 GI bleeding: Heyde syndrome?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery 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.