A 75-year-old patient and his 40-year-old daughter both have an intestinal virus with complaints of vomiting and diarrhea. Why is the nurse concerned about the patient being at risk for dehydration?
A) The patient is on a fixed income
B) The virus will make changes to the patient's gastrointestinal system
C) The vomiting and diarrhea will cause a reduction in intracellular fluids
D) The patient does not want to bother a health care professional for a common virus
C
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The patient is at risk because of his age. With age, intracellular fluid is lost, resulting in decreased body fluids. Water makes up 50% or less of body weight in older adults, compared with 60% in younger adults. An increase in water loss could be life-threatening to an older person. The nurse's concern has nothing to do with the patient's income. The virus will not make changes to the patient's gastrointestinal system. There is not enough information to determine that the patient does not want to bother the nurse for a common virus.
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