Cor pulmonale is most directly associated with which underlying condition?

Cor pulmonale is most directly associated with which underlying condition?

• A. Chronic lung disease
• B. Left-sided heart failure
• C. Systemic hypertension
• D. Kidney failure

Answer: (A)

Cor pulmonale is right-sided heart failure caused by pulmonary hypertension that develops from chronic lung disease. The underlying issue is lung disease itself, such as COPD or pulmonary fibrosis, which causes ongoing low oxygen levels. This chronic hypoxia prompts constriction and remodeling of the pulmonary arteries, raising the pressure the right ventricle must pump against. Over time the right ventricle hypertrophies and then falters, producing the signs of right-sided heart failure. While left-sided heart failure can lead to pulmonary congestion, cor pulmonale specifically refers to right heart failure driven by lung-disease–related pulmonary hypertension. Systemic hypertension or kidney failure don’t directly produce this mechanism.

Cor pulmonale is right-sided heart failure caused by pulmonary hypertension that develops from chronic lung disease. The underlying issue is lung disease itself, such as COPD or pulmonary fibrosis, which causes ongoing low oxygen levels. This chronic hypoxia prompts constriction and remodeling of the pulmonary arteries, raising the pressure the right ventricle must pump against. Over time the right ventricle hypertrophies and then falters, producing the signs of right-sided heart failure. While left-sided heart failure can lead to pulmonary congestion, cor pulmonale specifically refers to right heart failure driven by lung-disease–related pulmonary hypertension. Systemic hypertension or kidney failure don’t directly produce this mechanism.