Pulmonary ______ occurs when resistance to flow across the pulmonary vasculature increases.

Pulmonary ______ occurs when resistance to flow across the pulmonary vasculature increases.

• A. Edema
• B. Hypertension
• C. Fibrosis
• D. Embolism

Answer: (B)

Pulmonary hypertension is the idea being described: when the vessels in the lungs offer greater resistance to blood flow, the pressure in the pulmonary circulation rises. That increased afterload makes the right ventricle work harder to push blood through the lungs, and over time can lead to right-sided heart strain or failure. The resistance can rise from vasoconstriction, remodeling and thickening of the pulmonary arteries, or from obstructions, among other causes. This is different from pulmonary edema, which is fluid accumulation in the lungs due to pressure or permeability problems; from pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of lung tissue; and from pulmonary embolism, which is a sudden blockage of a pulmonary artery. The description fits the chronic, resistance-driven increase in pulmonary vascular pressure known as pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is the idea being described: when the vessels in the lungs offer greater resistance to blood flow, the pressure in the pulmonary circulation rises. That increased afterload makes the right ventricle work harder to push blood through the lungs, and over time can lead to right-sided heart strain or failure. The resistance can rise from vasoconstriction, remodeling and thickening of the pulmonary arteries, or from obstructions, among other causes.

This is different from pulmonary edema, which is fluid accumulation in the lungs due to pressure or permeability problems; from pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of lung tissue; and from pulmonary embolism, which is a sudden blockage of a pulmonary artery. The description fits the chronic, resistance-driven increase in pulmonary vascular pressure known as pulmonary hypertension.