A 55-year-old male was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after experiencing complications from an infection during his youth. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that manifests as chronic inflammation, primarily in the joints. The patient states that he manages his symptoms well and lives a lifestyle that attempts to keep the inflammation at a minimum. After 2 weeks the patient was rushed to the emergency department because of a sore hand. Suspecting infection, the physician orders a gram stain and culture of the wound. The results indicate a Staphylococcus aureus infection. This is the third time in 4 months that the patient has developed an infection. The physician asks the nurse to educate the patient on proper hygiene. The nurse reports that the patient practices proper hygiene and that he cannot understand why the patient has had so many infections lately. The physician prescribes antibiotics and asks the patient to report to the laboratory for additional testing in hopes of determining the reason for the frequent infections. QUESTION: Based on this patient’s history of frequent infections, the physician is most likely ordering the laboratory testing to monitor for what specific immune defense? Explain your answer
A 55-year-old male was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after experiencing complications from an infection during his youth. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that manifests as chronic inflammation, primarily in the joints. The patient states that he manages his symptoms well and lives a lifestyle that attempts to keep the inflammation at a minimum. After 2 weeks the patient was rushed to the emergency department because of a sore hand. Suspecting infection, the physician orders a
QUESTION: Based on this patient’s history of frequent infections, the physician is most likely ordering the laboratory testing to monitor for what specific immune defense? Explain your answer
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