Arab Board Pediatrics Final Written study guide
Arab Board Pediatrics Final Written · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Arab Board of Health Specializations (ABHS) Pediatrics Final Written Examination is the written component of the specialty certification pathway for physicians training in pediatrics across the Arab region. It is intended for residents who have completed or are nearing completion of accredited pediatric training and who intend to practise as specialist pediatricians. The Arab Board Pediatrics Final Written study guide has 12 sections and about 2,992 words.
01General Pediatrics and Well-Child Care
Well-child care is a schedule plus a set of screens. Know the visit rhythm (newborn, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 months, then annually), the growth-chart logic (plot, then interpret velocity rather than a single point), and the developmental surveillance milestones that trigger formal testing.
285 words, about 1 min02Neonatology and Perinatology
Master the transition from fetal to neonatal circulation, the Apgar score as an assessment (not a resuscitation tool), and the physiology of neonatal jaundice. Know the causes and timing of respiratory distress (TTN, RDS, MAS, pneumonia, pneumothorax), the approach to hypoglycemia in the at-risk infant, and the classification of preterm birth by gestation and weight.
295 words, about 1 min03Pediatric Cardiology
Know the murmurs: innocent (soft, systolic, positional, no symptoms) versus pathologic (diastolic, pansystolic, loud, associated with failure to thrive or cyanosis). Understand shunt physiology - left-to-right (VSD, PDA, ASD) causing pulmonary overcirculation and failure to thrive, versus right-to-left (Tetralogy of Fallot) causing cyanosis.
253 words, about 1 min04Pediatric Pulmonology
Understand asthma as a chronic inflammatory disease with reversible obstruction: diagnosis by pattern and response to bronchodilator, severity by symptom frequency and lung function, and management by stepwise inhaled corticosteroids. Know the differential for chronic cough (upper airway cough syndrome, asthma, GERD, foreign body, pertussis), the approach to recurrent pneumonia (aspiration, immunodeficiency, structural), and cystic fibrosis (sweat chloride, newborn screening, pancreatic insufficiency).
264 words, about 1 min05Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Know the approach to failure to thrive (caloric intake, absorption, increased losses, increased needs), the differential for chronic diarrhea (celiac disease, cow's milk protein allergy, IBD, infection), and the evaluation of vomiting (GER versus pyloric stenosis versus malrotation). Understand jaundice in the older child (hepatitis, biliary obstruction, metabolic), the interpretation of liver enzymes, and the recognition of cholestasis in infancy.
242 words, about 1 min06Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
Master growth hormone deficiency versus constitutional delay versus familial short stature, using bone age and growth velocity. Understand thyroid disease (congenital hypothyroidism screening, acquired hypothyroidism, Graves disease), adrenal disorders (congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Addison disease, Cushing syndrome), and disorders of sexual development.
258 words, about 1 min07Pediatric Nephrology and Urology
Understand the evaluation of hematuria and proteinuria (transient versus persistent, glomerular versus tubular), the nephrotic syndrome (minimal change disease, steroid response), and acute glomerulonephritis (post-streptococcal, low C3). Know the causes and management of acute kidney injury (prerenal, intrinsic, postrenal) and chronic kidney disease.
233 words, about 1 min08Pediatric Neurology
Know the approach to seizures - febrile, focal, generalized, and status epilepticus - and the indications for EEG and neuroimaging. Understand headache red flags, the differential for acute weakness (Guillain-Barré, transverse myelitis, stroke), and the recognition of meningitis and encephalitis.
243 words, about 1 min09Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology
Understand the approach to fever in the infant (age-based risk stratification, sepsis evaluation), common viral and bacterial infections, and the principles of antimicrobial stewardship. Know the vaccine-preventable diseases and the immunization schedule.
242 words, about 1 min10Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
Understand the anemia approach - microcytic (iron deficiency, thalassemia), normocytic (hemolysis, chronic disease), macrocytic (B12/folate, marrow failure). Know the evaluation of bleeding and bruising (ITP, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease) and the interpretation of coagulation tests.
230 words, about 1 min11Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Critical Care and Toxicology
Master the ABCDE approach to the critically ill child, the recognition of shock (hypovolemic, distributive, cardiogenic, obstructive), and the principles of fluid resuscitation and vasoactive support. Know the approach to respiratory distress, status epilepticus, and altered consciousness.
232 words, about 1 min12Pediatric Behavioral, Developmental and Adolescent Medicine
Understand developmental surveillance and screening (autism, language delay, motor delay), the evaluation of ADHD and learning disorders, and the recognition of mood and anxiety disorders in children. Know the stages of adolescent development, confidentiality, and the approach to risky behaviors (substance use, sexual health, self-harm).
215 words, about 1 min