Famotidine may be given before surgery to lower the risk of aspiration pneumonitis by reducing the acidity of stomach contents.
Correct Answer
True
True. If stomach contents are aspirated during anesthesia, less acidic fluid causes less lung injury, so an H2 blocker such as famotidine is sometimes given beforehand.
Category: H2 Receptor Blockers
Question 2
When an H2 blocker is ordered once daily, it is usually given at bedtime to suppress nighttime acid secretion.
Correct Answer
True
True. Histamine drives much of the acid secreted overnight, so a bedtime dose of an H2 blocker controls nocturnal acid, which helps ulcer healing.
Category: H2 Receptor Blockers
Question 3
Chewable antacid tablets work best when swallowed whole without chewing.
Correct Answer
False
False. Chewable antacid tablets are chewed thoroughly before swallowing and followed with water, which spreads the antacid so it can neutralize stomach acid quickly.
Category: Antacids
Question 4
Long-term proton pump inhibitor use can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency because stomach acid helps release the vitamin from food protein.
Correct Answer
True
True. Without enough acid, dietary B12 stays bound to protein and is poorly absorbed, so patients on years of acid suppression can develop deficiency with fatigue, anemia or neuropathy.
Category: Proton Pump Inhibitors
Question 5
Proton pump inhibitors bind reversibly to the proton pump, so acid secretion returns as soon as the drug leaves the blood.
Correct Answer
False
False. PPIs bind the pump irreversibly, so acid secretion recovers only as the parietal cells make new pumps; this is why acid control lasts much longer than the drug stays in the blood.
Category: Proton Pump Inhibitors
Question 6
Stopping a proton pump inhibitor after long-term use can cause rebound acid hypersecretion, so heartburn may briefly worsen.
Correct Answer
True
True. Prolonged acid suppression raises gastrin and the acid-secreting capacity of the stomach, so stopping can cause a temporary surge in acid; providers often taper the drug and patients should know symptoms may flare.
Category: Proton Pump Inhibitors
Question 7
Relief of symptoms with a proton pump inhibitor rules out stomach cancer.
Correct Answer
False
False. Acid suppression can ease symptoms caused by a gastric malignancy and delay its diagnosis, so persistent or alarming symptoms such as weight loss, bleeding or trouble swallowing still need evaluation.
Category: Proton Pump Inhibitors
Question 8
Misoprostol protects the stomach by neutralizing acid that has already been secreted.
Correct Answer
False
False. Misoprostol is a synthetic prostaglandin analog that reduces acid secretion and increases protective mucus and bicarbonate; neutralizing acid already in the stomach is the action of antacids.
Category: Misoprostol
Question 9
Proton pump inhibitors work best when taken before the first meal of the day.
Correct Answer
True
True. Proton pump inhibitors block only pumps that are active, and eating a meal activates the parietal cell pumps. Taking the drug before breakfast puts it in the blood as the pumps switch on, which gives the greatest acid suppression.
Category: Proton Pump Inhibitors
Question 10
Proton pump inhibitors are usually stopped before a urea breath test for H. pylori because they can cause a false-negative result.
Correct Answer
True
True. PPIs suppress the bacteria and their urease activity without eradicating them, so a breath or stool antigen test done during PPI therapy can miss an active infection.
Category: H. pylori Treatment
Question 11
Acid suppression with a proton pump inhibitor alone is enough to eradicate H. pylori infection.
Correct Answer
False
False. Eradication requires antibiotics given with the acid suppressant; a PPI alone may ease symptoms but leaves the infection, and the ulcer is likely to return.
Category: H. pylori Treatment
Question 12
Eradicating H. pylori lowers the chance that a peptic ulcer will come back.
Correct Answer
True
True. When H. pylori is the cause, clearing the infection removes the ongoing mucosal injury, so ulcers recur far less often than with acid suppression alone.
Category: H. pylori Treatment
Question 13
H. pylori infection is a rare cause of peptic ulcer disease.
Correct Answer
False
False. H. pylori infection is one of the most common causes of peptic ulcers, along with NSAID use, which is why patients with ulcers are tested for the organism.
Category: H. pylori Treatment
Question 14
Sucralfate is well absorbed into the bloodstream and works by blocking acid secretion in the stomach.
Correct Answer
False
False. Sucralfate is minimally absorbed and acts locally, forming a protective barrier over the ulcer that shields it from acid, pepsin and bile; it does not block acid secretion.
Category: Sucralfate
Question 15
Magnesium-containing antacids can accumulate to toxic levels in patients with severe kidney impairment.
Correct Answer
True
True. The kidneys excrete absorbed magnesium, so in severe kidney impairment it can build up and cause hypermagnesemia, with weakness, hypotension and loss of reflexes; these products are used cautiously or avoided in kidney disease.
Category: Antacids
Question 16
Misoprostol should be taken on an empty stomach, away from meals.
Correct Answer
False
False. Misoprostol is taken with food, which reduces its common diarrhea and abdominal cramping.
Category: Misoprostol
Question 17
Antacids relieve heartburn by blocking the secretion of acid by the stomach.
Correct Answer
False
False. Antacids are weak bases that neutralize acid already in the stomach; drugs that reduce acid secretion are the H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors.
Category: Antacids
Question 18
Sodium bicarbonate releases carbon dioxide gas in the stomach, which can cause belching and abdominal distension.
Correct Answer
True
True. When sodium bicarbonate neutralizes hydrochloric acid it forms water, salt and carbon dioxide, and the gas can cause belching, bloating and discomfort.
Category: Antacids
Question 19
Large or prolonged use of calcium carbonate antacids can contribute to kidney stones.
Correct Answer
True
True. Extra calcium absorbed from calcium carbonate raises urinary calcium, which can promote kidney stones, especially with low fluid intake.
Category: Antacids
Question 20
A patient with an active peptic ulcer can safely use ibuprofen for minor aches and pains.
Correct Answer
False
False. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen reduce the prostaglandins that protect the stomach lining and can worsen an ulcer or cause bleeding, so patients with peptic ulcers are usually advised to use acetaminophen for minor pain and to check with the provider.
Category: Hyperacidity Basics