The AHA/ACC stages categorize heart failure based on what?

The AHA/ACC stages categorize heart failure based on what?

• A. Structural heart disease and symptoms
• B. Exercise tolerance only
• C. Ejection fraction alone
• D. Blood pressure categories

Answer: (A)

Staging by the AHA/ACC is based on structural heart changes and the presence of symptoms, not on how far a patient can exercise, their ejection fraction, or blood pressure category. This approach runs from risk with no structural disease to advanced disease requiring specialized care. Specifically, Stage A is risk with no structural heart disease or symptoms; Stage B is structural heart disease without symptoms; Stage C is structural heart disease with current or prior symptoms; Stage D is advanced, treatment-refractory heart failure. Ejection fraction helps describe HF type (phenotype) but does not define the stage, and functional class like NYHA describes exercise capacity separately from staging.

Staging by the AHA/ACC is based on structural heart changes and the presence of symptoms, not on how far a patient can exercise, their ejection fraction, or blood pressure category. This approach runs from risk with no structural disease to advanced disease requiring specialized care. Specifically, Stage A is risk with no structural heart disease or symptoms; Stage B is structural heart disease without symptoms; Stage C is structural heart disease with current or prior symptoms; Stage D is advanced, treatment-refractory heart failure. Ejection fraction helps describe HF type (phenotype) but does not define the stage, and functional class like NYHA describes exercise capacity separately from staging.