FCPS Medicine Part 1 Paper III Preparation & Syllabus

FCPS Medicine Part 1 exam has 3 paper:

1. Paper I
2. Paper II
3. Paper III

FCPS Medicine Part 1 Paper III Marks distribution

FCPS Medicine Part 1 Paper III syllabus and preparation

The Second day of FCPS part- iii  exam is paper- 3 exam. Since the paper iii  test is done on the third day, so the preparation can be done very tightly for paper iii, with concentration and seriousness for pass in first times. All in all, the preparation of Paper-3 is more or less good for everyone. So you have to try to get excellent marks in Paper-3.

N.B.: For pass fcps part I exam you have need to get above or equal 70% marks.

Medicine Paper III topics

The FCPS Medicine Part 1 Paper III has seven topics :e.g. below following :

1. Immunology
2. Respiratory Medicine
3. Infectious diseases and Tropical Medicine
4. Nephrology
5. Disturbances in Water, Electrolyte and Acid-Base balance
6. Rheumatology
7. Principles of Geriatric Medicine

1. Immunology 

You have need to understand following topics:
• Humoral and cell-mediated immunity
• Immunodeficiency syndromes
• Phagocytic dysfunction diseases
• Complement deficiencies
• Hypersensitivities including allergies and autoimmune diseases

Immunology and immunological tests:

• Common immunological laboratory tests
• Evaluation of patients with immune disease
• Intercellular communication and signal transduction
• Lymphocyte and phagocytic cell biology
•  Antigen presentation
• Humoral, cellular and mucosal immunity including TH1 and TH2 responses
• Inflammation
• Complement system and cytokines
• Hypersensitivity and autoimmunity

Clinical conditions:

• Mechanisms of immunodeficiency
• Antibody immunodeficiency disorders
• T-cell immunodeficiency disorders
• Combined antibody and cellular immunodeficiency disorders
• Phagocytic dysfunction diseases
• Complement deficiencies

immediate management of acute allergic emergencies:

• Anaphylaxis
• Angio-oedema
• Urticaria

immunology as applied to other medical diseases:

• Rheumatic disease (connective tissue diseases)
• Endocrine diseases (thyroid autoimmune diseases, diabetes mellitus, Addison’s disease)
• Haematological diseases (pernicious anaemia, autoimmune
• haemolytic anaemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura)
• Gastroentestinal diseases (Coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatobiliary disease)
• Renal diseases (Goodpasture’s syndrome, immune-complex glomerulonephritis)
• Dermatological diseases (discoid lupus, pemphigus, pemphigoid)
• Neurological diseases (demyelinating diseases, myasthenic syndromes)

Management

• Principles of immunosuppressive therapy with indications and side effects.
• Immunosuppressive drug therapy (corticosteroids, cytotoxic agents, and cyclosporin)
• Intravenous immunoglobulin
• Monoclonal antibodies
• Bone marrow transplantation
• You should know about the principles of immunisation and be familiar with vaccines currently in use

2. RESPIRATORY MEDICINE

Anatomy of Lungs

• upper and lower respiratory tract
• thorax
• radiological anatomy.

Physiology of Lungs

• How respiration is controlled
• Principles of gas exchange and oxygen transport
• Ventilation -perfusion relationship
• Lung volumes and transfer factor
• Respiratory aspects of sleep and exercise physiology

You have to understand following topics:

• Physical, humoral and cellular aspects of respiratory defence mechanisms
• Physiology of the proteinase inhibitors and pulmonary surfactant
• The pulmonary and bronchial circulations and gas exchange
• Adaptations to chronic hypoxemia
• Pleural fluid production and reabsorption

Pathophysiology and Pathology

• Asthma
• COPD
• Pneumonia
• Tuberculosis
• microbiology of acute and chronic respiratory infections should be known.

Cell Biology and Genetics

• Lung inflammation and repair
• Vasculitis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Anti-protease deficiency

Clinical Pharmacology

• indications of drugs used in respiratory disease.
• mechanisms of action of drugs used in respiratory disease
• Interactions and side effects of drugs used in respiratory disease.
• Important respiratory complications of other drugs, e.g., NSAIDs and beta blockers should also be understood. 

Clinical conditions

• Pleural effusion
• Lung cancer
• Chest pain
• Haemoptysis
• Breathlessnesss
• Systemic disease associated with lungs:
• Vasculitis
• Neuromuscular diseases
• HIV infection

You should have understand to following topics:

• assess respiratory malignant conditions and
• understand the general principles of oncological management including the indications for surgery.
• The indications for specialized investigations, including bronchoscopy, CT scanning, lung biopsy, lung volumes and exercise testing should be known.
• control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

3. Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine

You should understand the basic microbiology. Major Bacteria, Virus and tungus and all important protozoa and helminths should be known to all.

• Aerobic or anaerobic bacteria
• Gram-staining characteristics of bacteria

Immunology of infectious diseases

• immune deficiency states
• Principles of immunization
• knowledge of vaccines currently used should also be known.
• Opportunistic infections
• Immunization policy

Pathophysiology

• ARDS

Epidemiology
You should have knowledge of the principles of epidemiology relevant important topics, such as:

• Mechanisms of transmission of pathogens
• How epidemics happen
• Knowledge of carrier states, reservoirs, vectors and zoonoses
• Elementary concepts of the control of communicable diseases (including immunization, isolation, contact tracing, chemoprophylaxis of close contacts)
• Broad awareness of geographical variation in disease  including TB, HIV, Hepatitis B, Malaria, Leishmaniasis.

Treatment
indications for, and major adverse effects of, commonly employed antimicrobial agents.
you must read following topics :

• B-lactamas
• Tetracyclones
• Macrolides
• Aminoglycosides
• Quinolines
• Trimethoprim
• Metronidazole
• Antituberculous drugs
• Antimalarial drugs
• Antiviral agents
• Antifungal drug
• Antiparasitic drugs
• Specific infection

Knowledge of the characteristics, recognition, prevention, eradication and pathological effects of all commonly encountered bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi, protozoa, parasites and toxins, including and understanding of the principles of infection control, will be required. Special attention to differential diagnosis, appropriate investigations and awareness of when presumptive therapy is indicated is essential of following topics –

• Tuberculosis
• Cholera and other infective Diarrhoea
• Pneumococcal infections
• Meningitis
• Typhoid fever
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Influenza
• Mumps
• Dengue
• AIDS
• Malaria
• Visceral leishmaniasis
• Amebiasis
• Candidiasis
• Tineas
• Subcutaneous and deep mycoses
• Scabies
• Leprosy

Envenomation

• Snakebite, scorpion & other stingers.
• Biological basis, pathophysiology of envenomation and treatment.
• Venomous snakes
• Mode of action of venoms
• Anti snake venoms

4. NEPHROLOGY

Physiology

• Discrete functions of glomerular ultrafiltration and tubular function.
• Proximal and distal parts of the nephron, with particular reference to control of water and electrolyte balance.
• Renal tubular acidosis
• Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-balance disturbances.

Glomerular and tubular disorders

• Primary glomerular disorders
• Diabetic nephropathy
• Lupus nephritis
• Hypertensive nephrosclerosis
• metabolic sequelae of acute
• nephritis and nephrotic syndromes.
• investigation and assessment of glomerular and tubular Hypertension and renal problems in pregnancy
• renal adaptation to pregnancy,
• the management and prophylaxis of renal disease and hypertension in pregnancy.
• drugs cause nephrotoxic damage.
• Dose adjustment in kidney disease
• Renal replacement therapy Knowledge of different dialysis modalities and their complications is expected.
• immunosuppressive therapy following renal transplantation.

5. FLUID, ELECTROLYTE AND ACID-BASE IMBALANCE

1. Hypokalaemia
2. hyperkalemia
3. Hyponatremia
4. hypernatremia
5. Acidosis
6. alkalosis
7. SIADH

6. Rheumatology

You should have a sound working knowledge of the basic principles of the common musculoskeletal conditions :

• Inflammatory arthritis
• Back pain
• Periarticular disorder
• Osteoarthritis
• Connective tissue diseases
• Bone diseases

Physiology

• Physiology of pain
• Physiology of inflammation
• Urate metabolism
• Bone metabolism

Anatomy :

• Applied anatomy, particularly of cervical and lumbar nerve roots, and of peripheral nerves commonly involved in disease

Clinical Conditions:

A. The pathology of the common rheumatic conditions:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Connective tissue diseases
• Bone diseases
• Rheumatoid arthritis and associated syndromes
• Seronegative spondyloarthirits (ankylosing spondylitis,
• psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, enteropathic arthritis)
• Osteoarthritis
• Crystal arthritis (gout, pyrophosphate arthritis)
• Connective tissue diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren’s syndrome, scleroderma, polymyositis/ dermatomyositis)
• Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant-cell artheritis
• Systemic vasculitic syndromes
• Bone disorders (osteoporosis, osteomalacia)

B. Arthritis associated with other medical conditions:

• Sarcoidosis
• Erythema nodosum
• Infections and arthritis (e.g Parvovirus B 19)

Investigations

• Acute phase proteins
• Immunological tests relating to the connective tissue diseases (rheumatoid factor, ANA, anti-dsDNA, ANCAs, etc.)
• Contemporary imaging techniques in rheumatology (x-ray, ultrasound, MR imaging)

Management

1. Drug related therapies (indications and contra-indications, adverse effects, drug interactions.
2. Simple analgesics
3. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
4. Corticosteroids
5. Allopurinol
6. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs
7. Immunosuppressive drugs

7. PRINCIPLES OF GERIATRIC MEDICINE

1. Physiological effects of aging
2. Immobility
3. Falls
4. Stroke rehabilitation
5. Drug treatment in the elderly

Read More :

FCPS Medicine part I (Paper I)