Which of the following is a major cause of heart failure?

Untreated high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a significant risk factor for heart failure. Chronic high blood pressure forces the heart to work harder than normal to pump blood throughout the body. Over time, this increased workload can lead to structural changes in the heart, such as left ventricular hypertrophy, where the heart muscle thickens. These changes can impair the heart's ability to function properly, ultimately leading to heart failure.

Managing blood pressure effectively is crucial in preventing heart failure and its complications. Unlike excessive exercise or high levels of physical activity, which can generally improve heart health, untreated hypertension poses a direct threat to cardiac function. Genetic predisposition may play a role in an individual's risk for heart disease but is not as immediately reversible as addressing hypertension, making it less of a controllable cause compared to untreated blood pressure.