Question

a client is exhibiting signs of graves disease. what clinical manifestations of this disorder would the nurse document that would indicate this disease state?

Answer 1

Clinical manifestations of Graves' disease documented by a nurse include heat intolerance, rapid and irregular heartbeat, weight loss, goiter, and exophthalmos. Hyperthyroidism is characteristic of Graves' disease, contrasted with the weight gain and cold intolerance seen in hypothyroidism.

Step-by-step explanation:

Graves' disease is characterized by a spectrum of clinical manifestations resulting from hyperthyroidism. When assessing a client for Graves' disease, a nurse would document signs such as heat intolerance, a rapid and irregular heartbeat, unexplained weight loss, and physiological changes in the thyroid gland, including goiter. The protrusion of the eyes, known as exophthalmia or Graves' ophthalmopathy, is a distinctive feature of this disease. Additionally, symptoms may include difficulty sleeping, profuse sweating, and increased heart rate as a result of elevated basal metabolic rate. Conversely, signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, which are due to low thyroid hormone levels, include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, and a slow heart rate. It is imperative to distinguish between these two thyroid disorders, as their management is quite different, with hyperthyroidism often requiring treatment options that reduce thyroid hormone production.