Chapter 35 Assessment of Immune Function
A nurse is explaining treatment options to a client diagnosed with an immune dysfunction. Which statement by the client accurately reflects the teaching about current stem cell research?
"Stem cell transplantation has been carried out in humans with certain types of immune dysfunction, and clinical trials using stem cells are underway in clients with a variety of disorders with an autoimmune component."
A client is informed that his white blood cell count is low and that he is at risk for the development of infections. The client asks, "Where do I make new white blood cells?" What is the best response by the nurse?
"White blood cells are produced in the bone marrow."
A client is given a dose of ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for complaints of abdominal pain. Ten minutes after receiving the medication, the client's eyes, lips, and face begin to swell, and the nurse hears stridor. What priority measure should the nurse prepare to do?
Administer epinephrine
Which assessment should be completed if immune dysfunction is suspected in the neurosensory system?
Ataxia
Which of the following cell types are involved in humoral immunity?
B lymphocytes
A 34-year-old client is diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. Testing reveals that the client is a candidate for treatment. The nurse anticipates that which therapy could be used to treat the client's condition?
Interferon
A patient has enlarged lymph nodes in his neck and a sore throat. This inflammatory response is an example of a cellular immune response whereby:
Lymphocytes migrate to areas of the lymph node
The nurse is aware that the phagocytic immune response, one of the body's responses to invasion, involves the ability of cells to ingest foreign particles. Which of the following engulfs and destroys invading agents?
Macrophages
An adult client has had mumps when the client was a child. The client had a titer prior to entering nursing school and shows immunity. What type of immunity does this reflect?
Naturally acquired active immunity
A 20-year-old client cut a hand while replacing a window. While reviewing the complete blood count (CBC) with differential, the nurse would expect which cell type to be elevated first in an attempt to prevent infection in the client's hand?
Neutrophils
A laboring mother asks the nurse if the baby will have immunity to some illnesses when born. What type of immunity does the nurse understand that the newborn will have?
Passive immunity transferred by the mother
What is the function of the thymus gland?
Programs T lymphocytes to become regulator or effector T cells
A client is diagnosed with multiple site cancers and has received whole-body irradiation. The nurse is concerned about a compromised immune system in this client for which reason?
Radiation destroys lymphocytes.
The nurse is caring for a client recovering from a major burn. Burns affect the immune system by causing a loss of large amounts of which of the following?
Serum, which depletes the body's store of immunoglobulins
Which organ is considered a lymphoid tissue?
Spleen
A nurse is taking the health history of a newly admitted client. Which of the following conditions would NOT place the client at risk for impaired immune function?
Surgical removal of the appendix
A nurse is caring for a client with multiple sclerosis. Client education about the disease process includes which explanation about the cause of the disorder?
The immune system recognizes one's own tissues as "foreign."
A client with chronic renal failure has begun treatment with a colony-stimulating factor. What medication does the nurse anticipate administering to the client that will promote the production of blood cells?
Epoetin alfa (Epogen)
The nurse is beginning the physical examination of a client with a complaint of fatigue. What documentation will the nurse provide to describe this general appraisal of the client's health?
The client appears mildly ill, listless, and disheveled.
A client has been diagnosed with AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). A nursing student asks the nurse why the client's skin test for TB is negative if the client's physician has diagnosed TB. The nurse's correct reply is which of the following?
The client's immune system cannot mount a response to the skin test.
