Multiple Sclerosis NCLEX Review

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The nurse is assessing a 48-year-old client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Which clinical manifestation warrants immediate intervention?

1. The client has scanning speech and diplopia.
2. The client has dysarthria and scotomas.
3. The client has muscle weakness and spasticity.
4. The client has a congested cough and dysphagia.
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The nurse is assessing a 48-year-old client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Which clinical manifestation warrants immediate intervention?

1. The client has scanning speech and diplopia.
2. The client has dysarthria and scotomas.
3. The client has muscle weakness and spasticity.
4. The client has a congested cough and dysphagia.
4.Dysphagia is a common problem of clients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,and this places the client at risk for aspiration pneumonia. Some clients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eventually become immobile and are at risk for pneumonia.


1. These are clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis and are expected.
2. These are expected clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis.
3. These are expected clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis.
The client newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) states, "I don't understand how I got multiple sclerosis. Is it genetic?" On which statement should the nurse base the response?

1. Genetics may play a role in susceptibility to MS, but the disease may be caused by a virus.
2. There is no evidence suggesting there is any chromosomal involvement in developing MS.
3. Multiple sclerosis is caused by a recessive gene, so both parents had to have the gene for the client to get MS.
4. Multiple sclerosis is caused by an autosomal dominant gene on the Y chromosome,so only fathers can pass it on.
1.The exact cause of MS is not known,but there is a theory stating a slow virus is partially responsible. A failure of apart of the immune system may also beat fault. A genetic predisposition involving chromosomes 2, 3, 7, 11, 17, 19, and X may be involved.


2. There is some evidence supporting a genetic component involved in developing MS.
3. A specific gene has not been identified to know if the gene is recessive or dominant.
4. The X chromosome, not the Y chromosome,may be involved.
The 30-year-old female client is admitted with complaints of numbness, tingling, a crawling sensation affecting the extremities, and double vision which has occurred two(2) times in the month. Which question is most important for the nurse to ask the client?

1. "Have you experienced any difficulty with your menstrual cycle?"
2. "Have you noticed a rash across the bridge of your nose?"
3. "Do you get tired easily and sometimes have problems swallowing?"
4. "Are you taking birth control pills to prevent conception?"
3.These are clinical manifestation of MS and can go un diagnosed for years be-cause of the remitting-relapsing nature of the disease. Fatigue and difficulty swallowing are other symptoms of MS.



1. MS does not affect the menstrual cycle.
2. A rash across the bridge of the nose suggests systemic lupus erythematosus
4. Taking birth control medications should not produce these symptoms or the pattern of occurrence.
The nurse enters the room of a client diagnosed with acute exacerbation of multiple sclerosis and finds the client crying. Which statement is the most therapeutic response for the nurse to make?

1. "Why are you crying?The medication will help the disease."
2. "You seem upset. I will sit down and we can talk for awhile."
3. "Multiple sclerosis is a disease that has good times and bad times."
4. "I will have the chaplain come and stay with you for a while."
2.This is stating a fact and offering self. Both are therapeutic techniques for conversations.



1. "Why" is requesting an explanation, and the client does not owe the nurse an explanation.
3. The client did not ask about the nature of MS. The client needs to be able to verbalize feelings.
4. This is "passing the buck." Therapeutic communication is an integral part of nursing.
The client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis is scheduled for a magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) scan of the head. Which information should the nurse teach the client about the test?

1. The client will have wires attached to the scalp and lights will flash off and on.
2. The machine will be loud and the client must not move the head during the test.
3. The client will drink a contrast medium 30 minutes to one (1) hour before the test.
4. The test will be repeated at intervals during a five (5)- to six (6)-hour period.
2.MRI scans require the client to lie stilland not move the body; the clientshould be warned about the loud noise


1. This describes an evoked potential electroencephalogram (EEG).
3. The client does not drink any contrast medium. If contrast is used, it will be given IVP for a CT scan.
4. The test is performed at one time
The 45-year-old client is diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and the nurse writes the nursing diagnosis "anticipatory grieving related to progressive loss." Which intervention should be implemented?

1. Consult the physical therapist for assistive devices for mobility.
2. Determine if the client has a legal power of attorney.
3. Ask if the client would like to talk to the hospital chaplain. 4. Discuss the client's wishes regarding end-of-life care.
4.The client should make personal choices about end-of-life issues while it is possible to do so. This client is progressing toward immobility and all the complications related to it.


1. The problem is grieving R/T loss of functioning. Assistive devices will not prevent loss of functioning and do not address grieving.
2. A legal power of attorney is for personal property and control of financial issues,which is not the focus of the nurse's care. A legal power of attorney for health care maybe appropriate.
3. The nurse should and must discuss end-of-life issues with the client and does not need to contact the hospital chaplain.
The home health nurse is caring for the client newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Which client issue is of most importance?

1. The client refuses to have a gastrostomy feeding.
2. The client wants to discuss if she should tell her fiancé.
3. The client tells the nurse life is not worth living anymore
.4. The client needs the flu and pneumonia vaccines.
3.A potential suicide statement is priority for the nurse when caring for the client with MS.
The nurse and a licensed practical nurse (LPN) are caring for a group of clients.Which nursing task should not be assigned to the LPN?

1. Administer a skeletal muscle relaxant to a client diagnosed with low back pain.
2. Discuss bowel regimen medications with the HCP for the client on strict bed rest.
3. Draw morning blood work on the client diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.
4. Teach self-catheterization to the client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
4.The nurse should not assign assessing,teaching, or evaluation to the LPN. Evaluating the client's ability to per-form self-catheterization should not beassigned to the LPN
The male client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis states he has been investigating alternative therapies to treat his disease. Which intervention is most appropriate by the nurse?

1. Encourage the therapy if it is not contraindicated by the medical regimen.
2. Tell the client only the health-care provider should discuss this with him.
3. Ask how his significant other feels about this deviation from the medical regimen.
4. Suggest the client research an investigational therapy instead.
1.The nurse should listen without being judgmental about any alternative therapy the client is considering. Alternative therapies, such as massage and relaxation, are frequently beneficial and enhance the medical regimen.
The client diagnosed with an acute exacerbation of multiple sclerosis is placed on high-dose intravenous injections of corticosteroid medication. Which nursing intervention should be implemented?

1. Discuss discontinuing the proton pump inhibitor with the HCP.
2. Hold the medication until after all cultures have been obtained.
3. Monitor the client's serum blood glucose levels frequently
.4. Provide supplemental dietary sodium with the client's meals.
3.Steroids interfere with glucose metabolism by blocking the action of insulin;therefore, the blood glucose levels should be monitored.


1. Steroid medications increase gastric acid;therefore, a proton pump inhibitor is an appropriate medication for the client.
2. Cultures are ordered prior to administer-ing antibiotics, not steroids.
4. Steroid medications cause the client to retain sodium; therefore, a low-sodiumdiet should be encouraged
The nurse writes the client problem of "altered sexual functioning" for a male client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Which intervention should be implemented? 1. Encourage the couple to explore alternative ways of maintaining intimacy. 2. Make an appointment with a psychotherapist to counsel the couple. 3. Explain daily exercise will help increase libido and sexual arousal. 4. Discuss the importance of keeping physically calm during sexual intercourse.1.This will assist the client and significant other to maintain a close relation-ship without putting undue pressure on the client. 2. This is a real physical problem, not a psychological one. 3. The problem is impotence, not libido 4. The problem is not psychosocial. It is aphysical problem, and staying calm willnot helThe nurse is admitting a client diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Which clinical manifestation should the nurse assess?Select all that apply. 1. Muscle flaccidity. 2. Lethargy. 3. Dysmetria. 4. Fatigue. 5. Dysphagia.1.Muscle flaccidity is a hallmark symptom of MS. 3.Dysmetria is the inability to control muscular action characterized by overestimating or under estimating range of movement. 4.Fatigue is a symptom of MS. 5.Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is associated with MS. 2. Lethargy is the state of prolonged sleepiness or serious drowsiness and is not associated with MS.