Pulmonary hypertension is a secondary cause of:

Pulmonary hypertension is a secondary cause of:

• A. Left-sided CHF
• B. Right-sided CHF
• C. Biventricular CHF
• D. None

Answer: (B)

Right-sided heart failure occurs when the right ventricle can’t cope with the high pressure it must pump against in the pulmonary circulation. Chronic pulmonary hypertension raises the afterload on the right ventricle, so the RV undergoes hypertrophy to compensate. Over time, this strain leads to dilation and impaired contractility, with systemic venous congestion producing signs like peripheral edema, hepatomegaly, and JVD. That sequence—pulmonary hypertension forcing the right ventricle to work harder and eventually fail—is why pulmonary hypertension is a secondary cause of right-sided CHF (cor pulmonale).

Right-sided heart failure occurs when the right ventricle can’t cope with the high pressure it must pump against in the pulmonary circulation. Chronic pulmonary hypertension raises the afterload on the right ventricle, so the RV undergoes hypertrophy to compensate. Over time, this strain leads to dilation and impaired contractility, with systemic venous congestion producing signs like peripheral edema, hepatomegaly, and JVD. That sequence—pulmonary hypertension forcing the right ventricle to work harder and eventually fail—is why pulmonary hypertension is a secondary cause of right-sided CHF (cor pulmonale).