156k views
1 vote
The nurse is caring for a patient diagnosed with HIV. Which assessment data is most concerning

User Wgodoy
by
6.9k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The most concerning data would be a CD4 T-cell count below 200 cells/μl, indicating AIDS. The presented patient has 700 CD4 T cells/μl and no apparent illness, indicating Stage 1 HIV infection.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most concerning assessment data for a patient diagnosed with HIV would be a CD4 T-cell count that is critically low, specifically below 200 cells/μl of blood, as this indicates the progression to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Opportunistic infections, which are more common in patients with severely compromised immune systems, would also be a critical concern. However, in the case mentioned, the patient's CD4 T-cell count is 700 cells/μl and she does not display any apparent illness, suggesting her HIV infection is in Stage 1: Acute HIV infection, where CD4 T-cell counts are more than 500 cells/μl and the patient has a large amount of virus in their blood but might not yet display severe symptoms.

User Artyom Kozhemiakin
by
7.2k points
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.