Question 1

A client with HIV asks the nurse why medications used to treat the virus are not effective over long periods of time. The nurse states it is because an individual infected with HIV may produce as many as ________ billion new virions every day.
Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Accepted Answer

A client infected with HIV may produce as many as 10 billion new virions every day, and the immune system becomes overwhelmed by the infection. Medications grow resistant due to the rapid replication rate of the virus.

Question 2

While discussing the pharmacotherapy of HIV with a group of nursing students, the nurse states that the goal of antiretroviral therapy is to reduce plasma HIV RNA to less than ________ copies/mL.
Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Accepted Answer

HIV RNA levels are determined every 3 to 6 months to monitor progression of the disease and to assess the degree of success of antiretroviral therapy. The goal of antiretroviral therapy is to reduce plasma HIV RNA to less than 48 copies/mL. For most patients, 12 to 24 weeks of HIV pharmacotherapy is required to achieve this level.

Question 3

The nurse states that the development of an HIV vaccination has been unsuccessful due to the large size of the HIV genome, which has ________ base pairs and leads to the high mutation rate of the virus.
Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Accepted Answer

It is estimated that, given the size of the HIV genome at 10,000 base pairs, every possible mutation probably occurs at every nucleotide daily in an untreated client. These errors create huge numbers of genetic variants, or mutant strains, with new and different characteristics from the original. It is not unusual to find dozens of genetic variants of HIV replicating within the same client. Thus, vaccine development, and indeed antiretroviral therapy, is trying to hit a "moving target" that is changing its genetic makeup literally every minute.

Question 4

The nurse is discussing the risk of transmission of HIV to a pregnant woman who is concerned her baby will become infected. The nurse states that by following the prescribed treatment regimen transmission can be reduced by approximately ________%.
Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Accepted Answer

A reduction of approximately 70% in transmission from mother to infant was achieved in clinical trials in 1994 with a zidovudine regimen.

Question 5

A client has been started on efavirenz (Sustiva) for the treatment of HIV. The client is reporting nightmares, dizziness, and a reduced ability to concentrate. The nurse tells the client that these CNS symptoms should diminish in 3 to ________ weeks.
Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Accepted Answer

CNS adverse effects are observed in at least 50% of clients when first initiating efavirenz therapy, including sleep disorders, nightmares, dizziness, reduced ability to concentrate, and delusions. The CNS adverse effects usually diminish after 3 to 4 weeks of therapy.

Question 6

Opportunistic infections, such as bacterial infections, associated with a client with HIV can be treated with which of the following?
A) Ciprofloxacin
B) Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
C) Fluconazole
D) Benzathine penicillin

Accepted Answer

Ciprofloxacin is the preferred drug for a client with HIV and a bacterial infection.

Question 7

A client with HIV asks if there is a vaccine to prevent transmission to the client's significant other. What is the nurse's best response?
A) "This virus has challenged scientists and they have created a pseudo vaccine."
B) "There is a vaccine that prevents the older adults from getting the HIV infection."
C) "A vaccine has been developed but it only assists young children."
D) "At present, there is no vaccine to prevent HIV transmission."

Accepted Answer

After decades of research, the FDA has not approved a single effective vaccine.

Quiz 16: HIV Pharmacotherapy and Prevention

While discussing the pharmacotherapy of HIV with a group of nursing students, the nurse states that the goal of antiretroviral therapy is to reduce plasma HIV RNA to less than ________ copies/mL. Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

The nurse states that the development of an HIV vaccination has been unsuccessful due to the large size of the HIV genome, which has ________ base pairs and leads to the high mutation rate of the virus. Record your answer rounding to the nearest whole number.

Opportunistic infections, such as bacterial infections, associated with a client with HIV can be treated with which of the following? A) Ciprofloxacin B) Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. C) Fluconazole D) Benzathine penicillin