ABIM Exam Prep: The “Power” of Knowing Your Reflexes
When preparing for the ABIM Internal Medicine board examination, realize that noting the reflexes mentioned in a clinical vignette can serve as a high-yield clue and often help narrow down the differential. Here is a list of 15 common medical conditions from the ABIM Learning Objectives and their associated reflexes.
In true Knowmedge style, let’s first show you a concise, colorful slide:
Figure 1: Common ABIM Reflexes (click image to enlarge)
HYPERREFLEXIA
1. Serotonin Syndrome (when SSRIs are combined with MAO inhibitors OR tramadol OR linezolid OR triptans)
2. Multiple Sclerosis
3. Sub-Acute Combined Degeneration
4. Multi-Infarct Dementia
5. Transverse Myelitis
6. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
NORMAL REFLEXES
7. Alzheimer’s Disease
8. Myasthenia Gravis
HYPOREFLEXIA
9. Eaton-Lambert Syndrome
10. West Nile Virus
11. Toluene Toxicity (glue sniffing)
12. Colchicine Myopathy
13. Depression
DELAYED REFLEXES
14. Hypothyroidism
ABSENT REFLEXES
15. Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Do you know any others? Please share with us below. We always love learning new medical facts and helping others prepare for the ABIM exam.
