Nokea
A client with AIDS is admitted to the hospital with severe diarrhea and dehydration. The physician suspects an infection with Cryptosporidium. What type of specimen should be collected to confirm this diagnosis?
- A. Urine specimen for culture and sensitivity
- B. Blood specimen for electrolyte studies
- C. Stool specimen for ova and parasites
- D. Sputum specimen for acid fast bacillus
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A stool specimen for ova and parasites will give a definitive diagnosis. The organism is spread by the fecal-oral route from contaminated water, food, or human or animal waste. Those infected can lose from 10 to 20 L of fluid per day. Losing this magnitude of fluid quickly leads to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
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A client has been diagnosed with HIV and has been placed on antiretroviral therapy. What does the nurse inform the client will be required for determining the progression of the disease as well as guiding drug therapy?
- A. The client will be required to stop the medication for 2 weeks and then have laboratory studies drawn to determine if the antiretroviral therapy has cured the disease.
- B. Viral load and T4-cell counts will be performed every 2 to 3 months.
- C. More antiretroviral medication will be added every 2 to 3 months.
- D. The Western blot test will be monitored every 6 months to see if the virus is still present.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Viral load testing is used to guide drug therapy and follow the progression of the disease. Viral load tests and T4-cell counts may be performed every 2 to 3 months once it is determined that a person is HIV positive. The medication should be adhered to and not discontinued. There is no cure for the disease at this time. Antiretroviral therapy is not generally changed or added to without reason or lack of response. The Western blot is used for confirmation of the presence of the HIV virus.
A client with AIDS has been tested for cytomegalovirus (CMV) with positive titers. What severe complication should the nurse be alert for with cytomegalovirus?
- A. diarrhea
- B. hearing impairment
- C. blindness
- D. fatigue
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: CMV can infect the choroid and retinal layers of the eye, leading to blindness. It does not lead to hearing impairment. Fatigue and diarrhea may occur but are not as critical as blindness.
A client with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is brought to the clinic by a family member. The family member tells the nurse the client has become forgetful, with a limited attention span, decreased ability to concentrate, and delusional thinking. What condition is represented by these symptoms?
- A. Distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP)
- B. Candidiasis
- C. AIDS dementia complex (ADC)
- D. Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: AIDS dementia complex, or ADC, is a neurologic condition that causes the degeneration of the brain, especially in areas that affect mood, cognition, and motor functions. Such clients exhibit forgetfulness, limited attention span, decreased ability to concentrate, and delusional thinking. DSP is characterized by abnormal sensations, such as burning and numbness in the feet and later in the hands. Candidiasis is a yeast infection that may develop in the oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, or vaginal cavities or in the folds of the skin. CMV infects the choroid and retinal layers of the eye, leading to blindness, and can also cause ulcers in the esophagus, colitis, diarrhea, pneumonia, and encephalitis.
The nurse has four clients that come to the clinic for healthcare. Which client has the highest risk factor for HIV infection?
- A. a 46-year-old female who has been in a monogamous relationship for 9 years
- B. a 22-year-old heterosexual male who has had one relationship for 2 years
- C. a 34-year-old female who has donated blood on several occasions
- D. a 26-year-old inmate who receives tattoos in prison
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Contact with infected blood on body piercing, tattoo, and dental equipment places the inmate at great risk because there is not an approved method for sterilization of the equipment. The other answers do not eliminate the risk for HIV but are less likely.
What does the nurse understand is the goal of antiretroviral therapy?
- A. Reverse the HIV+ status to a negative status.
- B. Treat mycobacterium avium complex.
- C. Eliminate the risk of AIDS.
- D. Bring the viral load to a virtually undetectable level.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The goal of antiretroviral therapy is to bring the viral load to a virtually undetectable level. This level is no more than 500 or 50 copies, depending on the sensitivity of the selected viral load test. It is not possible to reverse the status to a negative, and it cannot eliminate the risk of AIDS but can help with prolonging the asymptomatic stage of HIV. Antiretroviral therapy does not treat mycobacterium avium complex.