Question

A 64-year-old female patient is experiencing difficulty breathing when she lies in her bed. She reports having a nonproductive cough, and lab values indicate pulmonary hypertension. All of these symptoms may indicate which of the following medical conditions?

A. Aortic stenosis
B. Mitral stenosis
C. Cor pulmonale
D. Left CHF

Answer 1

The symptoms described, including difficult breathing in a supine position, nonproductive cough, and pulmonary hypertension, are most indicative of cor pulmonale, which is related to the right-sided heart alteration due to lung conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

A 64-year-old female patient with difficulty breathing when lying down, a nonproductive cough, and lab values indicating pulmonary hypertension may be experiencing several potential medical conditions. However, the symptoms described are commonly associated with cor pulmonale, a condition characterized by the alteration of the right side of the heart, caused by a primary disorder of the respiratory system. In this case, pulmonary hypertension is a key symptom, which is often a result of chronic pressure overload in the pulmonary circulation that the right ventricle has to pump against. While other conditions such as aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, and left congestive heart failure (CHF) can lead to similar symptoms, they tend to have different primary causes and associated clinical findings.