Question

A nurse is assessing a client who has a new diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Which of the following manifestations should the nurse expect?

a) Weight loss
b) Tachycardia
c) Cold intolerance
d) Exophthalmos

Answer 1

The nurse should expect a client with hypothyroidism to exhibit cold intolerance. Other symptoms of this thyroid dysfunction include weight gain, fatigue, and slow metabolism, but not exophthalmos or tachycardia which are associated with hyperthyroidism.

Step-by-step explanation:

The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland is underactive, differ significantly from those of hyperthyroidism. In hypothyroidism, individuals often experience symptoms due to a slowing down of the body's metabolism. Some of these symptoms include weight gain, feeling excessively cold (cold intolerance), fatigue, constipation, and a slow heart rate.

Exophthalmos, which is the bulging of the eyes, is not a symptom of hypothyroidism but is often associated with hyperthyroidism, specifically Grave's disease. Similarly, weight loss and tachycardia (increased heart rate) are not characteristic of hypothyroidism, but rather of hyperthyroidism, where the body's metabolism is excessively accelerated.

Therefore, of the options provided, the correct manifestation that the nurse should expect in a client with a new diagnosis of hypothyroidism is cold intolerance.