For which older patient should the nurse suspect a decline in the responsiveness of the immune system?
1. 78-year-old patient with pneumonia and temperature of 99.5°F
2. 68-year-old patient with a red itchy rash from contact with poison ivy
3. 80-year-old patient with swelling and redness around an abdominal incision
4. 66-year-old patient with 8 mm induration from a mumps skin test 72 hours earlier
1
Rationale: The febrile response that signals infections may be blunted in the older person. The baseline body temperature in older people is approximately 1°F lower than the normal temperature in younger people. A rise in body temperature may not be immediately evident.
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