A patient is admitted to the unit with recurrent upper airway edema. This is the fifth time in the past 3 months that the disorder has occurred in this patient

Question

As the nurse caring for this patient you know that the patient may have a deficiency in what?
A) Red blood cells
B) C-1 esterase inhibitor
C) Cholesterol
D) Immunogammaglobulin A

Answer 1

Ans: B

Feedback: Hereditary angioneurotic edema results from the deficiency of C-1 esterase inhibitor, which opposes the release of inflammatory mediators. The clinical picture of this autosomal dominant disorder includes recurrent attacks of edema formation in the subcutaneous tissue, gastrointestinal tract, and upper airway. Ataxia-telangiectasia is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder that arises because of a defect on chromosome 11. In 40% of the patients with ataxia-telangiectasia, a selective IgA deficiency exists. The red blood cells and cholesterol are unaffected.