Chronic Disease Questions Related

Review Chronic Disease Questions related questions and content

The definition of Chronic Heart Failure is:

  • A. Failure of the heart to adequately pump blood to the body.
  • B. Long-term inability of the heart to meet metabolic demands required to maintain homeostasis.
  • C. Prolonged enlargement of the left ventricle impacting on the contractility of the muscle.
  • D. Long term fluid build-up, causing increase in blood volume and reducing the ability of the heart to maintain blood flow.
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a syndrome, not a singular defect. Failure to pump adequately describes acute failure but lacks chronicity's scope. CHF is the heart's prolonged inability to meet metabolic demands for oxygen and nutrients, disrupting homeostasis per Farrell (2017) encompassing systolic (reduced ejection) and diastolic (impaired filling) dysfunction. Left ventricular enlargement may occur (e.g., dilated cardiomyopathy), but it's a cause or result, not the definition; contractility varies. Fluid buildup (congestion) is a feature, not the essence blood volume rises secondary to neurohormonal activation (e.g., renin-angiotensin system), not as the primary failure. The metabolic demand focus captures CHF's systemic impact fatigue, edema, dyspnea reflecting chronic adaptation failure over structural or fluid-centric descriptions.