Practice Question
The nurse is assessing a client taking hydrocortisone for Addison's disease. Which question is most appropriate for the nurse to ask to monitor for a common complication of therapy?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
"Have you noticed any changes in your vision?"
Rationale:
⭐ Hydrocortisone therapy is a glucocorticoid replacement for Addison’s disease that mimics the effects of cortisol. While essential, long-term or high-dose therapy suppresses the immune response, making the client more susceptible to infections.
⭐ Asking about recent infections (even mild ones) helps the nurse monitor for immunosuppression, which is a common and serious complication of glucocorticoid therapy.
⭐ Early recognition of infections is critical, since the inflammatory response is blunted in these clients, and infections may progress quickly without typical warning signs like fever.
⭐ Other complications of glucocorticoid therapy include hyperglycemia, osteoporosis, fluid retention, and GI irritation, but infection risk is one of the highest-priority concerns during assessment
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This question is from Exam 4 - Modules 7 and 8 which contains 69 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: General Exams
- Domain: Medical-surgical📚
- Answer Choices: 4