Left-sided heart failure symptoms include which of the following?

• A. JVD, hepatomegaly
• B. Peripheral edema
• C. Abdominal distension
• D. Pulmonary edema, dyspnea, orthopnea, crackles

Answer: (D)

Left-sided heart failure causes blood to back up into the lungs, raising pressure in the pulmonary vessels and leading to pulmonary congestion. This produces the hallmark lung-related symptoms: dyspnea, orthopnea (shortness of breath when lying flat), crackles on auscultation, and pulmonary edema. These reflect fluid overload in the lungs and impaired gas exchange.

Signs like jugular venous distention, hepatomegaly, and peripheral edema are more typical of right-sided (systemic) venous congestion, while abdominal distension can also reflect right-sided involvement. So the pattern of pulmonary symptoms—pulmonary edema with dyspnea, orthopnea, and crackles—best fits left-sided heart failure.