A10-year-old boy developed pruritus and skin wheals after eating fried eggs. He was diagnosed with food allergy, and loratadine was prescribed. Which of the following statements best explains why loratadine is used in several allergic disorders?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D because loratadine is a second-generation antihistamine that works by blocking the effects of histamine on peripheral tissues. This helps to alleviate symptoms of allergies such as pruritus and skin wheals. Option A is incorrect because loratadine does not block the release of histamine from mast cells. Option B is incorrect as loratadine does not prevent the antigen-antibody reaction. Option C is incorrect because loratadine does not elicit effects opposite to histamine; instead, it counteracts histamine effects.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Most drugs are absorbed in the GI tract via passive diffusion (Choice D), driven by lipid solubility and concentration gradients across membranes. Active transport (Choice A) requires energy, filtration (Choice B) is minor for drugs, and endocytosis/exocytosis (Choice C) is rare for small molecules.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.