What complication occurs when a person has Cushing syndrome?
Increased pigmentation of the skin
Increased weight loss
Decreased blood pressure
Decreased immune response
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Increased skin pigmentation is associated with Addison’s disease due to elevated ACTH stimulating melanocytes. Cushing syndrome, caused by excess cortisol, typically causes skin thinning and bruising, not hyperpigmentation. The excess cortisol does not directly affect melanin production, making this choice incorrect.
Choice B reason: Cushing syndrome leads to weight gain, not weight loss, due to cortisol’s promotion of fat deposition in central areas (e.g., abdomen, face). Increased appetite and altered metabolism contribute to obesity, not weight loss, making this choice incorrect as it contradicts the metabolic effects of hypercortisolism.
Choice C reason: Cushing syndrome often causes hypertension, not decreased blood pressure, due to cortisol’s mineralocorticoid effects, increasing sodium retention and vascular resistance. Decreased blood pressure is more associated with adrenal insufficiency, making this choice incorrect as it does not align with Cushing syndrome’s pathophysiology.
Choice D reason: Cushing syndrome, characterized by excess cortisol, suppresses the immune system by inhibiting inflammatory responses and reducing lymphocyte activity. This increases susceptibility to infections and impairs wound healing, making decreased immune response a hallmark complication, which is why this choice is correct.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is ["A","B","D"]
Explanation
Choice A reason: Coronary artery vasospasm causes transient vessel constriction, reducing blood flow to the myocardium, leading to ischemia and potentially infarction. This is a recognized cause, particularly in variant angina, making this a correct mechanism for myocardial infarction.
Choice B reason: A thrombus forming in a coronary artery, often due to plaque rupture, obstructs blood flow, causing myocardial ischemia and infarction. This is the most common cause of myocardial infarction, making this a correct mechanism.
Choice C reason: Chest wall bruising from trauma does not directly cause myocardial infarction, which requires coronary artery occlusion. Trauma may cause cardiac contusion but not infarction, making this choice incorrect for myocardial infarction development.
Choice D reason: An embolus, such as from a clot elsewhere, can block a coronary artery, stopping blood flow to the myocardium, causing infarction. Though less common than thrombosis, it is a valid mechanism, making this a correct choice.
Choice E reason: Systemic infection with hyperthermia does not directly cause myocardial infarction. It may increase cardiac demand, potentially exacerbating ischemia, but infarction requires coronary occlusion, not just fever, making this choice incorrect.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Hypertrophy is the increase in cell size due to increased workload, as seen in heart failure where cardiac myocytes enlarge to compensate for increased demand. This adaptation enhances pumping capacity initially but may lead to dysfunction, making this the correct choice for cardiac enlargement.
Choice B reason: Dysplasia involves abnormal cell growth and differentiation, often precancerous, typically in epithelial tissues. It is not a response to increased workload in the heart, which requires cell enlargement, not abnormal development, making this choice incorrect for heart failure adaptation.
Choice C reason: Neoplasia refers to uncontrolled cell growth forming tumors, benign or malignant, and is not a response to heart failure. Cardiac enlargement in heart failure results from adaptive hypertrophy, not tumor formation, making this choice incorrect for the described cellular adaptation.
Choice D reason: Metaplasia is the reversible replacement of one cell type with another, often due to chronic irritation (e.g., in smokers’ lungs). It does not occur in cardiac muscle under heart failure stress, which involves cell size increase, making this choice incorrect.
Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.
Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today
Report Wrong Answer on the Current Question
Do you disagree with the answer? If yes, what is your expected answer? Explain.
Kindly be descriptive with the issue you are facing.