Question

An adult male reports that he recently experienced an episode of chest pressure and breathlessness when he was jogging. The client expresses concern because both of his deceased parents had heart disease and his father had diabetes. He lives with his male partner, is vegetarian, and takes atenolol which maintains his blood pressure at 130/74 mmHg. Which risk factor should the nurse explore further with the client? Select all that apply.

a. Family health history
b. Homosexual lifestyle
c. History of hypertension
d. Vegetarian diet
e. Excessive aerobic exercise

Answer 1

The nurse should explore the risk factors of a history of hypertension and excessive aerobic exercise further with the client.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should explore the risk factors of a history of hypertension and excessive aerobic exercise further with the client.

In this case, the client's deceased parents having heart disease and the client's father having diabetes are important family history risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, since the client already reported taking atenolol to maintain his blood pressure at a healthy level of 130/74 mmHg, the nurse does not need to explore the history of hypertension further with the client. Atenolol is a medication that is commonly used to treat hypertension.

The nurse should explore excessive aerobic exercise further with the client because this could potentially be a risk factor for the chest pressure and breathlessness he experienced during jogging. While exercise is generally beneficial for cardiovascular health, excessive aerobic exercise can put strain on the heart and potentially increase the risk of a heart attack or other cardiovascular problems.