Chapter 35 - Assessment of Immune Function
When obtaining a health history from a patient with possible abnormal immune function, what question would be a priority for the nurse to ask?
"Have you ever received a blood transfusion?"
A client with an autoimmune disorder asks, "Why is autoimmune disease more prevalent in the women in my family?" Which response will the nurse make to this client?
"It's believed to be caused by the differences in the sex hormones."
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 of having a low white blood cell count and that the client 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 will be receiving a hepatitis B vaccination series prior to employment in a dialysis center. What type of immunity will this provide?
Artificially acquired active immunity
The client is about to have a skin test for an allergic disorder. What critical instruction should the nurse give this client?
Avoid antihistamines and cold preparations for 48 to 72 hours before the test.
A client is admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of pneumonia. The client informs the nurse of having several drug allergies. The physician has ordered an antibiotic as well as several other medications for cough and fever. What should the nurse do prior to administering the medications?
Consult drug references to make sure the medicines do not contain substances which the client is hypersensitive.
The nurse is obtaining the medical history of a client with Crohn's disease. What medication would the nurse include when asking about what medications the client has taken for suppression of the inflammatory and immune response?
Corticosteroids
This type of T lymphocyte is responsible for altering the cell membrane and initiating cellular lysis.
Cytotoxic T cell (also known as killer T cells)
The nurse notes that an older adult was treated for a wound infection and pneumonia within the last 6 months. Which factor will the nurse attribute to this client's illnesses?
Immunosenescence - the term for age-related changes in the immune system
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
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
The nurse is beginning the physical examination of a client with 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.
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 is treated in the clinic for a sexually transmitted infection, and the nurse suspects that the client is at risk for HIV. The physician determines that the client should be tested for the virus. What responsibility does the nurse have?
The nurse ensures a written consent is obtained prior to testing.
A client arrives at the clinic and reports a very sore throat as well as a fever. A rapid strep test returns a positive result and the client is given a prescription for an antibiotic. How did the streptococcal organism gain access to the client to cause this infection?
Through the mucous membranes of the throat
A client developed an infection while on vacation in Central America and is now taking the antibiotic chloramphenicol. What should the client be monitored for when taking this drug?
aplastic anemia
A client has had a splenectomy after sustaining serious internal injuries in a motorcycle accident, including a ruptured spleen. Following removal of the spleen, the client will be susceptible to:
infection because the spleen removes bacteria from the blood.