What is commonly associated with diastolic heart failure?

Diastolic heart failure, also known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), is characterized primarily by the heart's inability to fill properly during diastole while maintaining a normal ejection fraction. This means that although the heart's pumping ability remains adequate, the relaxation phase is impaired, leading to increased filling pressures and resulting in symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath and fluid retention.

In diastolic heart failure, the ejection fraction often remains within the normal range (typically 55% or higher), which distinguishes it from systolic heart failure (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction), where the heart's ability to contract is impaired. This distinction highlights the uniqueness of diastolic dysfunction where the heart muscle can be adequately contracting, but the filling aspect is compromised, hence B is the correct choice.

Thinned ventricular walls, an S3 gallop, and right-sided heart failure are more associated with systolic dysfunction or other cardiac conditions. In diastolic heart failure, the ventricular walls may actually be thickened due to hypertrophy in response to chronic pressure overload. An S3 gallop is typically associated with volume overload states, which can occur in systolic heart failure rather than in