Final answer:
A client with cyanosis would typically exhibit a blue or blue/gray color of the skin. This condition is indicative of low oxygen levels in the blood, often due to respiratory issues, heart defects, or other causes of reduced oxygen supply.
Step-by-step explanation:
A client with cyanosis is exhibiting a condition where there is a blue or blue/gray color to the skin due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. This happens when the oxygen supply is restricted, as in cases of difficulty in breathing because of respiratory issues like asthma or a heart attack, as well as certain cardiac conditions such as septal defects. For example, severe septal defects like tetralogy of Fallot and patent foramen ovale can result in individuals becoming a "blue baby," where the skin turns blue or purple, especially during activity, due to an insufficient supply of oxygenated blood, despite normal skin pigmentation. Such discoloration can occur at the extremities or can be more generalized over the body depending on the severity of the oxygen deprivation.
Other causes of changes in skin color may include liver disease or cancer leading to jaundice, Addison's disease causing a bronze color, or the effects of melanocyte-stimulating hormone from pituitary tumors. However, these conditions do not relate to cyanosis, which is specifically characterized by the blue discoloration of the skin due to deoxygenated blood.