A nurse is volunteering with a medical team in Southeast Asia. A 35-year-old female presents to the clinic reporting that the village doctors have diagnosed her with malaria. The nurse notes that the woman is febrile, tachypneic, and her eyes have a yellow tint. She reports generalized body aches and weakness. Through a translator, the nurse collects the woman's medical history. She reports feeling ill for about ten days, experiencing several cycles of fever, sweating, and chills that are temporarily relieved before occurring again. The village doctors treated her with a combination of a mosquito paste and an indigenous root, but her symptoms have not improved. The medical team performs serological testing at the clinic and confirms a diagnosis of malaria.
-If the medical team had the ability to perform more thorough blood tests,what would the nurse expect to find?

Question

A nurse is volunteering with a medical team in Southeast Asia. A 35-year-old female presents to the clinic reporting that the village doctors have diagnosed her with malaria. The nurse notes that the woman is febrile, tachypneic, and her eyes have a yellow tint. She reports generalized body aches and weakness.  Through a translator, the nurse collects the woman's medical history. She reports feeling ill for about ten days, experiencing several cycles of fever, sweating, and chills that are temporarily relieved before occurring again. The village doctors treated her with a combination of a mosquito paste and an indigenous root, but her symptoms have not improved. The medical team performs serological testing at the clinic and confirms a diagnosis of malaria.
-If the medical team had the ability to perform more thorough blood tests,what would the nurse expect to find?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Thorough blood testing for malaria would likely reveal a decreased RBC count due to the destruction of red blood cells by the malaria parasite. Hypoglycemia may also be present due to the metabolism of glucose by the parasite. Yellow tint in the eyes suggests jaundice, which is a common complication of severe malaria caused by liver dysfunction.

A Nurse Is Volunteering with a Medical Team in Southeast