What is the relationship between afterload and cardiac hypertrophy?

Increased afterload refers to the higher resistance the heart must overcome during systole to eject blood. When the afterload is consistently elevated, such as in conditions like hypertension or aortic stenosis, the heart's left ventricle must work harder to pump against this increased pressure.

As the left ventricle experiences this sustained pressure overload, it responds by undergoing hypertrophy, which is a thickening of the cardiac muscle fibers. This compensatory mechanism enhances the contractile strength of the ventricle to maintain adequate cardiac output despite the increased workload. Over time, the hypertrophied heart muscle can lead to further complications, including heart failure if the underlying afterload condition is not addressed.

The other choices do not accurately reflect the physiological relationship seen in cardiovascular pathology. For example, increased afterload leading to dilatation or decreased afterload leading to hypertrophy do not capture the typical heart response to increased resistance. Similarly, stating there is no relation disregards the well-documented influence of afterload on cardiac muscle adaptation.