Cardiovascular System – Heart Anatomy, Function, and Circulatory Pathways Practice Test

Afterload is the pressure the left ventricle must overcome to eject blood. Aging-related atherosclerosis stiffens and narrows arteries, raising systemic vascular resistance and the pressure the heart must push against. That higher afterload makes it harder for the ventricle to eject blood, so the stroke volume typically declines. The heart may try to compensate in other ways, but the most consistent pair with this condition is an increased afterload accompanied by a decreased stroke volume.

Choices that suggest decreased afterload ignore the vascular changes of atherosclerosis, and a combination with decreased stroke volume and a higher heart rate would be less directly tied to the mechanical burden of the stiffened arteries.