Family Nurse Practitioner Exam

What symptom is NOT typically associated with congestive heart failure?

1. Dry cough at night

2. Nocturnal dyspnea

3. Orthopnea

4. Hypotension

The correct answer is: Hypotension

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is characterized by the heart's inability to pump blood effectively, which leads to a variety of symptoms typically associated with fluid overload and respiratory distress. The options that reflect common symptoms of CHF include dry cough at night, nocturnal dyspnea, and orthopnea, all of which are linked to lung congestion and the body's response to positional changes when lying flat. A dry cough at night can occur due to fluid accumulation in the lungs, which often leads to coughing when supine. Nocturnal dyspnea describes the sensation of difficulty breathing that occurs at night, necessitating an upright position to relieve the feeling. Orthopnea specifically refers to the shortness of breath experienced when lying flat, a common symptom in patients with heart failure due to the redistribution of body fluids and increased pressure in the lungs. In contrast, hypotension is not a typical symptom of congestive heart failure. While some patients with CHF may experience low blood pressure, it is not a hallmark of the disease; more often, patients present with normal or elevated blood pressure due to fluid retention. Therefore, hypotension is the symptom that does not align with the typical presentation of congestive heart failure.