Question

The nurse is admitting a client who has a cough, dyspnea, and abnormal chest x-ray who is otherwise healthy. The client has an elevated serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (SACE) level. Based on this result, what condition is the client at risk for?

a) Tuberculosis.
b) Pneumonia.
c) Asthma.
d) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Answer 1

A client with an elevated serum angiotensin-converting enzyme level and symptoms of cough, dyspnea, and an abnormal chest x-ray may be at risk for sarcoidosis, a systemic inflammatory disease that commonly affects the lungs.

Step-by-step explanation:

The condition that a client with an elevated serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (SACE) level might be at risk for is sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs in the body, but primarily the lungs and lymph glands. In patients with sarcoidosis, abnormal masses or nodules called granulomas consisting of inflamed tissues form in certain organs of the body. An elevated SACE level is one of the markers used to help diagnose sarcoidosis, although it is not specific to the disease and can be seen in other conditions. However, the presence of a cough, dyspnea, and an abnormal chest x-ray would lead physicians to consider sarcoidosis as a possible diagnosis. It is important to note that tuberculosis, pneumonia, asthma, and COPD can present with similar symptoms, but the elevated SACE level is more suggestive of sarcoidosis than these other conditions.