Hive Medical Trivia: Weekend Wrap-up

Happy Easter to you all. I hope you are having a splendid weekend like I am having. This is Holy week, so we have a considerably lower amount of trivia questions. We will pick up the pace next week.

Sometimes a quick quiz is the best way to learn—so let’s explore the answers to some real-life clinical scenarios and what they teach us about diseases. We'll go through each day’s question, reveal the correct answer, and explain why it’s the best choice (and why the others aren't!).

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📅 Monday
Q: A 25-year-old backpacker returns from a trip to India and develops watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea two days after returning. What is the most likely diagnosis?

A) Constipation
B) Food allergy
C) Traveller’s diarrhea
D) Inflammatory Bowel Disease

✅ Correct Answer: C) Traveller’s diarrhea

🔍 Explanation:
Traveller’s diarrhea is the most common health problem encountered by travelers to developing countries. Symptoms usually start during or shortly after travel and include watery diarrhea, cramps, and sometimes nausea or vomiting.

🚫 Why the others are incorrect:

• A) Constipation: Clearly doesn’t match the symptoms.
• B) Food allergy: Allergies usually cause skin reactions, respiratory issues, or rapid-onset symptoms—not diarrhea days after eating.
• D) IBD: Typically a chronic illness, not something that develops acutely in a previously healthy individual post-travel.

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📅 Tuesday
Q: What is the most common cause of traveller’s diarrhea?

A) Bacteria
B) Parasites
C) Viruses
D) Fungi

✅ Correct Answer: A) Bacteria

🔍 Explanation:
Bacteria, particularly enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), are the most common culprits behind traveller’s diarrhea. Others include Shigella, Campylobacter, and Salmonella. Dont worry about these names.

🚫 Why the others are incorrect:

• B) Parasites: They can cause diarrhea (e.g., Giardia), but they're less common than bacteria.
• C) Viruses: Like norovirus or rotavirus can cause outbreaks, especially on cruise ships, but still less common in this context.
• D) Fungi: Not known to cause traveller’s diarrhea.

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📅 Wednesday
Q: Which of the following signs would make you worry about a more serious infection?

A) Yellow urine
B) Slight headache
C) Blood in the stool and high fever
D) Mild cramps

✅ Correct Answer: C) Blood in the stool and high fever

🔍 Explanation:
These are red flag signs pointing to a potentially invasive infection (e.g., bacterial dysentery or inflammatory enteritis). They may require antibiotics, stool cultures, and close monitoring.

🚫 Why the others are incorrect:

• A) Yellow urine: Usually just means dehydration or concentrated urine.
• B) Slight headache: Nonspecific and common in minor viral illnesses.
• D) Mild cramps: Can occur in benign conditions and are not alarming on their own.

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🧠 Final Thoughts
These questions highlight how subtle differences in symptoms can drastically change what we worry about as clinicians. Always watch out for red flags like high fever, bloody stool, or persistent symptoms when it comes to gut health and infections!

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