Final answer:
In caring for a patient with adult-onset PKD, a nurse should manage symptoms like high blood pressure and abdominal pain, offer emotional support, suggest genetic counseling for the patient's children, and monitor for kidney failure which might necessitate hemodialysis or a kidney transplant.
Step-by-step explanation:
When providing care for a patient with adult-onset polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a nurse should expect the patient to have symptoms such as high blood pressure, headaches, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, and excessive urination due to the poor concentration ability of the kidneys. In addition to managing these symptoms, it is important for the nurse to provide support for the patient's psychological and emotional well-being as they cope with this chronic condition. While PKD can progress to kidney failure, deafness and blindness are not typical symptoms associated with PKD, therefore, measures for these conditions are not ordinarily required. Genetic counseling may be suggested for the children of the patient due to the hereditary nature of the disease. The primary focus of nursing care for PKD will be on managing symptoms such as pain and high blood pressure and monitoring for progression towards kidney failure, which may eventually require hemodialysis or a kidney transplantation.