A 20-year-old male is in acute pain with renal colic. What does the nurse suspect is the most likely cause?
Hyperventilation
Nephrolithiasis
Urinary tract infection
Trauma
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Hyperventilation leads to respiratory alkalosis, causing symptoms like dizziness, paresthesia, or tetany due to decreased carbon dioxide levels. It does not cause renal colic, which involves severe, spasmodic flank pain typically from ureteral obstruction. This makes hyperventilation an incorrect cause for the patient’s acute pain presentation.
Choice B reason: Nephrolithiasis, or kidney stones, is the most likely cause of renal colic in a young male. Stones obstruct the ureter, triggering severe, intermittent flank pain radiating to the groin, often with hematuria or nausea. This matches the described acute pain, making nephrolithiasis the correct diagnosis for the patient’s symptoms.
Choice C reason: Urinary tract infections may cause dysuria, frequency, or suprapubic discomfort but rarely produce the severe, colicky flank pain characteristic of renal colic. While infections can coexist with stones, the primary presentation of acute, severe pain points to nephrolithiasis, making this a less likely primary cause.
Choice D reason: Trauma can cause renal pain or hematuria but typically presents with a history of injury and signs like bruising or hemodynamic instability. Renal colic’s hallmark is spontaneous, severe pain without trauma history, making trauma an unlikely cause for this patient’s acute presentation.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Vitamin D deficiency affects calcium and bone health, not creatinine or BUN levels, which reflect kidney function. Elevated BUN and creatinine point to dehydration or kidney issues, so this is incorrect for the lab findings.
Choice B reason: Elevated creatinine and BUN indicate dehydration or kidney dysfunction, as these markers rise when kidneys fail to clear waste or when blood volume is low. This matches the patient’s symptoms, making it the correct choice.
Choice C reason: Respiratory acidosis affects blood pH and CO2, not creatinine or BUN, which are renal markers. Kidney dysfunction or dehydration better explain the lab results, so this is incorrect for the findings.
Choice D reason: Liver failure may elevate other markers (e.g., bilirubin), but BUN and creatinine are kidney-specific. Dehydration or kidney dysfunction align with the labs and symptoms, so this is incorrect.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Smoking is a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke, contributing to vascular damage. However, hypertension has a stronger association, directly causing arterial stress and clot formation, so this is less critical than hypertension.
Choice B reason: Diabetes increases stroke risk by promoting atherosclerosis, but its impact is less immediate than hypertension, which directly elevates arterial pressure and stroke likelihood. Thus, diabetes is incorrect as the most significant factor.
Choice C reason: Hypertension is the most significant risk factor for ischemic stroke, as it damages arteries, promotes clot formation, and increases stroke incidence. Isky’s history highlights this as the primary contributor, making it correct.
Choice D reason: Age (65) is a stroke risk factor, but hypertension’s direct impact on vascular health outweighs age alone. Isky’s controllable risk factor, hypertension, is more significant, so this is incorrect.
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