An 85-year-old patient's white blood cell count (WBC) is 3,000. How would the nurse interpret this finding? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply
1. The count is high, so the patient probably has an infection.
2. The patient's immune system is intact.
3. This WBC count is normal for a patient this age.
4. This count is low and further assessment should be completed.
5. This patient is immunosuppressed.
4,5
Rationale 1: This WBC count is low.
Rationale 2: This low WBC may indicate immune system dysfunction.
Rationale 3: Older patients may have some suppression of immunity that may manifest as slightly lower WBC counts, but this count is significantly low.
Rationale 4: Further investigation into the reason for this low WBC level should be undertaken.
Rationale 5: Low WBC counts indicate immunosuppression.
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