Which statement about cor pulmonale is true?

Which statement about cor pulmonale is true?

• A. It is left-sided heart failure due to systemic hypertension
• B. It is a liver disease
• C. It is a brain tumor
• D. It is right-sided heart failure caused by chronic lung disease.

Answer: (D)

Cor pulmonale is right-sided heart failure caused by chronic lung disease. The underlying issue is long-standing lung disease that leads to low oxygen levels, triggering narrowing and remodeling of the pulmonary arteries. This increases the pressure the right ventricle must pump against, causing it to hypertrophy and eventually fail. The result is systemic venous congestion—edema, liver enlargement, ascites, and distended neck veins—along with symptoms of lung disease like dyspnea. This differs from left-sided heart failure, which stems from problems with the left heart (often due to systemic hypertension) and typically causes pulmonary edema and related symptoms. Cor pulmonale is not a liver disease or a brain tumor. Management focuses on the lung disease and reducing right heart strain: provide supplemental oxygen to correct hypoxemia, treat the underlying COPD or interstitial lung disease, and use diuretics or other therapies to manage fluid overload and support the failing right heart.

Cor pulmonale is right-sided heart failure caused by chronic lung disease. The underlying issue is long-standing lung disease that leads to low oxygen levels, triggering narrowing and remodeling of the pulmonary arteries. This increases the pressure the right ventricle must pump against, causing it to hypertrophy and eventually fail. The result is systemic venous congestion—edema, liver enlargement, ascites, and distended neck veins—along with symptoms of lung disease like dyspnea.

This differs from left-sided heart failure, which stems from problems with the left heart (often due to systemic hypertension) and typically causes pulmonary edema and related symptoms. Cor pulmonale is not a liver disease or a brain tumor.

Management focuses on the lung disease and reducing right heart strain: provide supplemental oxygen to correct hypoxemia, treat the underlying COPD or interstitial lung disease, and use diuretics or other therapies to manage fluid overload and support the failing right heart.