Your patient is on long-term prednisone therapy. This patient should have frequent follow-up office visits to assess for which of the following?

A. Dermatitis and headaches: Prednisone use can sometimes cause skin issues, but dermatitis is not a common side effect. Headaches can also occur, but they are not specific to long-term prednisone therapy.

B. Heart failure and headaches: Prednisone does not directly cause heart failure. Headaches can occur but are not specific indicators of prednisone side effects.

C. Hyperglycemia and osteoporosis: Prednisone can lead to elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and increased bone loss (osteoporosis) when used long-term. Regular monitoring is essential to manage these potential side effects.

D. Weight loss and hypoglycemia: Prednisone can cause weight gain rather than weight loss. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is not a common side effect of prednisone; it typically causes hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) instead.

A. Bactericidal and bacteriostatic are used interchangeably.
This statement is incorrect. Bactericidal and bacteriostatic have distinct meanings in pharmacology and microbiology. Bactericidal means the drug kills bacteria, whereas bacteriostatic means the drug inhibits the growth of bacteria without killing them.

B. Bactericidal drugs are directly lethal to bacteria, and bacteriostatic drugs work to slow bacterial growth but do not cause cell death.
This statement is correct. Bactericidal drugs directly kill bacteria, leading to their death. Bacteriostatic drugs inhibit the growth of bacteria without causing their immediate death. Both types of drugs play different roles in the treatment of bacterial infections.

C. Bacteriostatic drugs are directly lethal to bacteria, and bactericidal drugs work to slow bacterial growth but do not cause cell death.
This statement is incorrect. It confuses the roles of bactericidal and bacteriostatic drugs. Bactericidal drugs directly kill bacteria, while bacteriostatic drugs inhibit bacterial growth without immediate cell death.

D. A bactericidal drug can cause death to the host, whereas a bacteriostatic drug only affects bacteria.
This statement is incorrect. Both bactericidal and bacteriostatic drugs primarily affect bacteria, not the host. The difference lies in how they affect bacteria: bactericidal drugs kill bacteria directly, and bacteriostatic drugs inhibit their growth.