The nurse and a client are discussing the client’s tendency to develop

The nurse and a client are discussing the client’s tendency to develop numerous “colds” during the winter months. The client’s health history reveals that he is a 1 pack a day smoker.

Which of the following nursing statements is most appropriate regarding the possible relationship between the client’s cigarette smoking and the frequency of winter colds?
1. “Smoking decreases your body’s immune system, and so you can’t fight off the colds as effectively.”
2. “If you stopped smoking you would have fewer colds and just generally feel bet-ter all year around.”
3. “The nicotine in the cigarettes has an effect on your blood vessels, decreasing the circulation of antibodies that would attack the cold viruses.”
4. “Smoking damages the little hairs in your nose and airways so they can’t trap the airborne cold viruses and keep them from entering your body.”

ANSWER

ANS: 4
Cilia lining the upper airway trap inhaled microbes and sweep them outward in mucus to be ex-pectorated or swallowed. Smoking appears to paralyze these tiny hairs, and so they are not able to function effectively. Consequently, microbes including the cold viruses are able to enter into the respiratory tract. The other options present unproven theories, generalized statements, or less thorough explanations of the relationship between smoking and respiratory illnesses.