Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 69%
Simulated
The 9-year-old with SLE is receiving large doses of prednisolone. Which laboratory finding should the nurse recognize as an untoward effect of the medication?
Correct answer
B
Rationale
A: The liver is not affected by prednisolone use, so an increased total bilirubin of 4 mg/dL is not related to the use of the drug. Normal total bilirubin in a 9-year-old should be less than 2 mg/dL. B: A WBC count of 18,000/mm3 may indicate an infection, an untoward effect of prednisolone (Omnipred). Prednisolone, a corticosteroid used to reduce inflammation, may increase the risk of infection. The normal WBC in a 9-year-old is 4500-11,100/mm3. C: Prednisolone has been associated with the adverse effect of hypokalemia, but not hyponatremia. Normal serum sodium is 135-145 mEq/L. D: Although corticosteroids may have the effect of increasing blood glucose, a random glucose of 130 mg/dL is not abnormal.