CMSRN Medical-Surgical Nursing

Answer - A - Fatigue, dyspnea at rest, pallor, and tachycardia are consistent with chronic anemia. Anemia is an abnormally low hemoglobin level and/or circulating number of red blood cells. The result is a decrease in the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity. Symptoms associated with chronic anemia, which is caused by the lack of oxygen reaching the cells, include fatigue, dyspnea at rest, and tachycardia. The lack of hemoglobin results in pallor. The dyspnea and tachycardia are attempts by the body to compensate for the tissue hypoxia by increasing oxygen delivery.