A 72-year-old patient is seen at the clinic for symptoms of a urinary tract infection.She is 155 cm tall and weighs 42 kg.The nursing history reveals that she drinks tea and eats toast twice a day for her meals because it is easy to fix and she has no appetite.Laboratory results include hemoglobin 6.5 mmol/L (10.5 g/dL)and albumin 20 g/L (2.0 g/dL).The nurse determines that the patient is near starvation with severe protein depletion when which of the following additional findings is observed?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Edema of the face and extremities is a sign of severe protein depletion, indicating that the patient's body is retaining fluid due to low protein levels in the blood. This is known as hypoalbuminemia and can lead to generalized edema. The other options, such as a small nodular liver, generalized weakness, and increased blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels, may also be seen in malnourished patients but are not specific to severe protein depletion.

A 72-Year-Old Patient Is Seen at the Clinic for Symptoms