EPI Symptoms Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A parent has a confirmed hereditary pancreatitis syndrome. Why could that family history be relevant to an EPI evaluation?
It means every biological child already has EPI
Some inherited conditions can increase the chance of recurrent pancreatic damage, which may eventually impair enzyme production
It shows that digestive symptoms must have a psychological cause
It guarantees that pancreatic enzyme treatment will prevent pancreatitis
2. What can a family history of pancreatic disease establish by itself?
The exact dose of pancreatic enzymes a person needs
Whether current digestive symptoms definitely come from EPI
Neither diagnosis nor treatment; it is one detail a clinician considers with symptoms, examination, and testing
That all relatives should avoid dietary fat
3. Which group of vitamins is especially vulnerable to poor absorption when EPI causes fat malabsorption?
Vitamins A, D, E, and K
Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 only
Vitamin C and folate only
All vitamins equally, regardless of how they are absorbed
4. Which test is commonly used as part of an evaluation for suspected EPI?
A throat culture
A skin-prick allergy test
A fecal elastase test performed on a stool sample
A resting electrocardiogram
5. Which new symptom should not simply be attributed to routine EPI and warrants prompt medical assessment?
Mild gas after a large bean-based meal
Yellowing of the skin or eyes, especially with dark urine
A brief stomach rumble before lunch
Occasional fullness after eating quickly
6. A clinician has prescribed PERT for EPI. When are the enzymes generally intended to work?
Only at bedtime, several hours after the last food
Once weekly, regardless of eating patterns
Only on days when abdominal pain is severe
With meals and snacks, following the prescriber's timing instructions
7. Which pattern points more specifically toward fat malabsorption than toward lactose intolerance alone?
Repeated greasy, bulky stools with unintended weight loss
Gas only after drinking ordinary milk, with no other symptoms
Temporary nausea during a viral stomach illness
Heartburn after lying down immediately following a large meal
8. Why may cystic fibrosis be relevant when learning about EPI?
It always causes the stomach to stop producing acid
It is another name for chronic pancreatitis
It causes the intestine to absorb excessive amounts of dietary fat
Thick secretions and pancreatic damage can prevent digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine
9. What is the main purpose of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT)?
To neutralize all bacteria in the digestive tract
To make the pancreas release more insulin throughout the day
To supply digestive enzymes that help break down fat, protein, and carbohydrate
To prevent food from leaving the stomach too quickly
10. Someone is eating their usual amount but has greasy stools and gradual unintended weight loss. How can EPI help explain this pattern?
It consistently suppresses appetite signals from the brain
Poor digestion and absorption can reduce the nutrients and calories the body receives
It makes food move through the esophagus too quickly
It causes the kidneys to remove most food calories in urine
11. If significant EPI remains untreated, which longer-term problem can result from ongoing maldigestion?
Malnutrition, weight loss, and deficiencies of certain vitamins
Improved absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Guaranteed development of a food allergy
Permanent overproduction of every digestive enzyme
12. What does exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) primarily mean?
The pancreas does not deliver enough digestive enzymes to the small intestine
The pancreas releases too much insulin after meals
The stomach produces too little acid to digest protein
The liver cannot store enough glucose between meals
13. Which stool change is commonly associated with poor fat digestion in EPI?
Small, dry stools that are difficult to pass
Greasy, pale, bulky, or difficult-to-flush stools
Black, tarry stools caused by digested blood
Stools coated mainly with bright-red blood
14. A person with chronic pancreatitis develops frequent greasy stools, bloating, and weight loss. What is the most appropriate interpretation?
Those symptoms prove EPI without any further assessment
The symptoms show that dietary fat must be permanently eliminated
The symptoms rule out a pancreatic cause because pancreatitis affects only blood sugar
EPI is a reasonable possibility to discuss with a clinician because pancreatic damage can reduce enzyme production
15. Why can EPI contribute to bloating and excessive gas after meals?
Food leaves the stomach before it mixes with stomach acid
The colon stops absorbing water after fat is eaten
The gallbladder releases bile continuously instead of during meals
Incompletely digested nutrients reach the intestine and are fermented by microbes
16. Someone taking prescribed PERT still has greasy stools. What is the best next step?
Stop eating all fat without discussing nutrition needs
Double every dose independently until symptoms disappear
Ask the treating clinician to review timing, dose, adherence, diet, and other possible causes
Assume persistent symptoms are unrelated to digestion