Your pregnant patient is having maternal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) screening. She does not understand how a test on her blood can indicate a birth defect in the fetus. The best reply by the nurse is:
a. "We have done this test for a long time."b. "If babies have a neural tube defect, alpha-fetoprotein leaks out of the fetus and is absorbed into your blood, causing your level to rise. This serum blood test detects that rise."c. "Neural tube defects are a genetic anomaly, and we examine the amount of alpha-fetoprotein in your DNA."d. "If babies have a neural tube defect, this results in a decrease in your level of alpha-fetoprotein."
ANS: b
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a. This response does not explain AFP screening.
b. When a neural tube defect is present, AFP is absorbed in the maternal circulation, resulting in a rise in the maternal AFP level.
c. AFP testing is not related to DNA.
d. Fetal neural tube defects result in an increase in maternal AFP.
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