National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) Practice Exam

What should be suspected in a patient presenting with symptoms of dermatitis after a kidney transplant?

1. Infection

2. Pressure injury

3. Normal healing process

4. Adverse reaction to medication

The correct answer is: Infection

When considering a patient who has undergone a kidney transplant and is now presenting symptoms of dermatitis, the most plausible explanation relates to an adverse reaction to medication. Post-transplant, patients are typically placed on immunosuppressive therapy to prevent organ rejection. This therapy can lead to various skin reactions, including dermatitis. While infection could be a consideration, it is less likely to present solely as dermatitis. Infections would generally manifest with more systemic symptoms such as fever, pain, or purulent discharge. A pressure injury could certainly occur in any immobile patient, but it would not typically present in isolation as dermatitis and is not a common immediate concern following transplant surgery unless the patient has been immobile for a prolonged time. Normal healing processes would not generally cause dermatitis. Instead, one would expect to see typical healing signs such as redness and swelling in a localized area of the surgical site. Therefore, the best option among the choices given is focusing on the adverse reaction to medication, as this aligns with the patient's recent medical history and the common side effects of the immunosuppressive drugs they would be taking post-transplant.