Medical-Surgical Nursing:Assessment and Managementof Clinical Problems 9th Edition by Sharon Lewis,Shannon Ruff Dirksen,Margaret McLean Heitkemper,Linda Bucher

Exercise 10

Treatment with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and a protease inhibitor (PI) is prescribed for a patient with HIV infection who has a CD4⁺ T-cell count of <400/µL.The patient asks why so many drugs are necessary for treatment.What should the nurse explain as the primary rationale for combination therapy?
A) Cross-resistance between specific antiretroviral drugs is reduced when drugs are given in combination.
B) Combinations of antiretroviral drugs decrease the potential for development of antiretroviral-resistant HIV variants.
C) Side effects of the drugs are reduced when smaller doses of three different drugs are used rather than large doses of one drug.
D) When T-cell counts are <500/µL, a combination of drugs that ha ve different actions is more effective in slowing HIV growth.