What is pulmonary hypertension?
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is high blood pressure in the lungs. This means that the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs become hard and narrow, making the heart work harder to pump the blood through. In turn, this weakens the heart, which cannot work properly and this can lead to heart failure.
The condition causes pulmonary vascular diseases (PVD) as the progressive obstruction of the lung blood vessels means they do not carry as much oxygen as they should, depriving the body of the oxygen it needs to properly function. One of the common symptoms includes increasing shortness of breath.
There is no cure for this disease but treatment can control the symptoms.
Who is likely to get pulmonary hypertension?
PH can affect people of all ages, races and socio-economics groups. Cases have been diagnosed from new born babies with a hole in their heart to those simply living at high altitude. It can also develop for no apparent reason in otherwise healthy people.
What are the symptoms?
The first symptom of PH is shortness of breath during routine activity, such as climbing stairs. Additional symptoms include:
- Tiredness
- Dizziness or fainting spells
- Bluish lips and skin
- Chest pain or pressure
- A racing heartbeat
Not everyone experiences all these symptoms and they can vary in severity. PH can be difficult to diagnose. It is therefore important to provide healthcare providers with a complete medical history and a description of all symptoms so that they can make the right diagnosis.
