Which laboratory data would alert the nurse to the possibility of hypercalcemia in the patient recently diagnosed with osteoporosis?

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. "You have irreparably damaged your liver, there is no available treatment at this time.": Hepatitis A is usually a self-limiting illness with full recovery, and the liver often heals completely.

B. "A vaccine could have prevented this illness but a full recovery typically occurs with HAV.”: Hepatitis A can be prevented by vaccination, and most people recover fully without lasting liver damage.

C. "You likely came in contact with HAV-infected blood to have contracted this disease.": Hepatitis A is transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route, not through blood contact.

D. "Expect to feel better in about a month but expect to have the symptoms for life.": While symptoms can last for several weeks to months, they do not persist for life in hepatitis A infections.