A healthy 70-year-old patient has low hemoglobin levels and no signs of gastrointestinal bleeding.
The nurse recognizes which item is an effect of aging that could be the reason for the low hemoglobin level?

The correct answer is B. Hypertonic saltwater.

Choice A rationale: Hypotonic saltwater would not cause significant fluid shifts into the alveoli. Instead, it would cause cells to swell due to the lower concentration of solutes outside the cells.

Choice B rationale: Hypertonic saltwater causes fluid to be drawn from the vascular space into the alveoli due to the higher concentration of solutes in the water compared to the body's cells. This can impair alveolar ventilation and result in hypoxia.

Choice C rationale: Hypotonic freshwater would cause cells to swell and potentially burst due to the lower concentration of solutes outside the cells, but it would not specifically cause fluid to be drawn into the alveoli.

Choice D rationale: Hypertonic freshwater is not a common classification for drowning water. Freshwater is typically hypotonic compared to body fluids, and it would not cause the same fluid shift as hypertonic saltwater.

The correct answer is: B. Normocytic.

Choice A rationale: Microcytic erythrocytes, or smaller-than-normal red blood cells, are typically seen in chronic conditions like iron deficiency anemia, not acute blood loss.

Choice B rationale: Normocytic erythrocytes, or normal-sized red blood cells, are usually seen in acute blood loss as the body's initial response doesn't alter the size of red blood cells.

Choice C rationale: Hypochromic erythrocytes, or paler-than-normal red blood cells, are more common in chronic anemia states such as iron deficiency.

Choice D rationale: Megaloblastic erythrocytes, or abnormally large red blood cells, are seen in conditions like vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, not in acute blood loss.