03-06-2010, 10:20 AM
33. A 60-year-old man comes to the physician because of increasing shortness of breath for 1 week; it occurs at rest and is exacerbated by exertion. He has not had chest pain. He has smoked two packs of cigarettes daily for 40 years. Between the ages of 18 and 30 years, he worked in a warehouse with exposed bare insulation; for the past 15 years, he has driven a taxi. Medications include ipratropium bromide and albuterol metered-dose inhalers. His temperature is 37 C (98.6 F), blood pressure is 170/95 mm Hg, pulse is 100/min, and respirations are 24/min. Anterior and posterior diffuse wheezes are heard. Cardiac examination shows no murmurs. There is mild pretibial edema. An x-ray film of the chest shows calcified pleural plaques on the right hemidiaphragm and a 2-cm pleural-based mass. With regard to the findings on the x-ray film, which of the following is most likely to have prevented this patient's condition?
A
) Appropriate immunizations
B
) Different occupation
C
) Different medications
D
) Hypertension screening
E
) Smoking cessation
A
) Appropriate immunizations
B
) Different occupation
C
) Different medications
D
) Hypertension screening
E
) Smoking cessation