A patient has seizure activity that is continuous in nature; the seizure subsides and then immediately resumes and continues. The nurse identifies this emergent condition as

A. Diminished serum albumin levels cause water to shift from blood to tissue: In cirrhosis, liver dysfunction leads to decreased production of albumin, a protein that helps maintain oncotic pressure. Low albumin levels cause fluid to shift from the vascular space into the tissues, resulting in ascites and peripheral edema.

B. Portal hypotension causes a fluid shift from the abdominal cavity into the portal veins: Portal hypertension, not hypotension, is a common feature of cirrhosis, but it leads to ascites by increasing pressure in the portal venous system, not by shifting fluid into the portal veins.

C. Hypoaldosteronism causes a fluid volume deficit: shifting water from blood into tissue: Cirrhosis often leads to hyperaldosteronism, not hypoaldosteronism, resulting in sodium and water retention, which contributes to edema.

D. Aberrations of the portal system cause a back-up of blood that leads to hydronephrosis: Hydronephrosis is related to obstruction of the urinary tract, not a complication of portal hypertension or cirrhosis.

A. A sudden, explosive, disorderly charge of neurons causes a transient aberration in brain function: This describes the pathophysiology of seizures, not myasthenia gravis.

B. Loss of the myelin sheath surrounding peripheral nerves causes asymmetric weakness: This describes multiple sclerosis, not myasthenia gravis.

C. Destruction of acetylcholine receptors causes muscle weakness with prolonged activity: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease where antibodies attack acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction, leading to muscle weakness, especially after repeated use.

D. A bacterial inflammatory illness that causes headache and photophobia: This describes meningitis, not myasthenia gravis.