Practice Quiz

CCRN Critical Care Nursing

Category - Adult

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A 47 year old man, develops symptoms of weakness in his hands, unsteady gait and inability to dorsiflex his foot. He has also developed a tremor of his extremities, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. As the muscles of the diaphragm weaken, a respirator is needed to help with breathing. After an extensive work-up, you arrive at a diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He has no family history of this disease. What is the most likely additional symptom he may develop as this disease progresses?
  1. Deteriorating mental function
  2. Bowel and bladder function loss
  3. Eye muscle weakness
  4. Inability to cough
Explanation
Answer: D - In a situation when a patient is diagnosed of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the patient is likely to show symptoms of inability to cough as the disease progresses. In ALS, the patient’s muscles in the throat are affected, speech becomes slurred or slowed, and the patient may have difficulty swallowing and experience inability to cough.
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