A nurse is reviewing laboratory data from a client who has chronic kidney disease. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

Rationale: A. Increased creatinine: Chronic kidney disease reduces the kidneys’ ability to filter waste products effectively, causing creatinine to accumulate in the blood. Elevated creatinine is a key indicator of declining renal function and is expected in this condition. B. Increased calcium: Clients with chronic kidney disease often have decreased calcium levels due to impaired vitamin D activation and phosphate retention. Increased calcium would be unusual unless the client is receiving supplementation. C. Increased bicarbonate: Metabolic acidosis is common in chronic kidney disease because the kidneys cannot adequately excrete hydrogen ions or reabsorb bicarbonate. This typically results in decreased, not increased, bicarbonate levels in the blood. D. Increased hemoglobin: Anemia frequently occurs in chronic kidney disease due to reduced erythropoietin production by the kidneys. This leads to lower hemoglobin levels, so an increase would not be expected unless treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents.