A nurse is caring for a client who has a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Which of the following secondary conditions should the nurse anticipate the client might develop?

Choice A rationale Emotional disorders, such as depression or anxiety, can develop secondary to TBI due to changes in brain chemistry or damage to areas governing mood regulation. Acute pain can also be a consequence of the initial injury, but these are not the primary, overarching physiological or cognitive sequelae anticipated in the broad sense of secondary conditions. Choice B rationale Decreased appetite and sleep disturbances are common in TBI clients due to hypothalamic or brainstem injury, or medication side effects. While prevalent, they are specific symptoms rather than broad categories of secondary conditions that encompass a wider range of potential neurological deficits impacting daily function and long-term prognosis. Choice C rationale Body dysmorphia is a psychiatric disorder involving obsessive preoccupation with perceived flaws, unrelated to the direct neurological impact of TBI. Neurofibrillary tangles are microscopic protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, not a direct or immediate secondary condition anticipated post-TBI, although TBI can increase long-term risk. Choice D rationale Loss of sensation, or sensory deficits, frequently occurs due to damage to somatosensory pathways in the brain or spinal cord. Cognitive difficulties, including problems with memory, attention, executive function, and information processing, are hallmark secondary conditions resulting from diffuse axonal injury or focal brain lesions following a traumatic brain injury.