Pulmonary hypertension is a life-threatening disease that worsens with time, but taking timely treatment can prevent its symptoms and patients can lead a better life. Having this condition means that the patient has high blood pressure in the arteries that pass through the heart to the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension is not the same as regular high blood pressure. Due to this condition, the tiny arteries in the lungs become blocked or narrow. It also causes problems in the passage of blood through the arteries, due to which the blood pressure in the lungs increases. The heart has to work very hard to pump blood and after some time the muscles of the heart get tired. Because of all this, the chances of heart failure increase.
There are five types of pulmonary hypertension which include:
The pulmonary hypertension symptoms are noticeable after they become worse. Here are the most common symptoms:
There are various pulmonary hypertension causes, but some potential conditions are primarily associated with developing PAH. Here are some of them:
There are numbers of tests that doctors might order for pulmonary hypertension diagnosis and they are:
At present, there is no cure available for pulmonary hypertension treatment, but there are some medical treatment options doctors involve to eliminate the risk of complications. Here are these options:
BM Birla Heart Research Centre is the only cardiac healthcare service located in the eastern region. We have a team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and other department healthcare professionals like pulmonologists, etc. who hold years of experience in their field. We have ensured the integration of the latest and advanced technological equipment to ensure the best patient care. If you observe any symptoms related to pulmonary hypertension, consult our expert pulmonologists. They will ensure diagnosing, managing, and treating the condition by offering you treatment that is right for you.
Yes, sleep apnoea is identified to be one of the causes of pulmonary hypertension as it increases the hydrostatic mechanism in the left atrial pressure.
It is a serious condition as it causes damage to the heart muscle, and makes the heart muscle inefficient to pump blood and oxygen throughout the body.
The pulmonary hypertension condition is not curable, however, treatment options are available to manage the symptoms. It includes medications, surgery, and certain lifestyle changes like eating healthy, quitting smoking, exercising regularly, etc.
This surgical procedure is recommended for patients who have a higher risk or are too sick, or too old for open heart surgery. It was first tested in 2002 on patients with severe aortic stenosis (a narrowing of the aortic valve opening), who were considered unfit for open heart surgery.
Heart failure is a serious condition marked by the inefficiency of the heart muscles to pump blood to different parts of the body. Also referred to as congestive heart failure, the condition can prove to be life-threatening if not addressed immediately. Such patients are often recommended to undergo a heart transplant, a surgical procedure that involves the replacement of a diseased or non-functional part of the patient’s heart with a healthy heart taken from a deceased donor.
Over the past few decades, various innovations and advancements in the field of cardiology have helped us to learn more and more about the human heart, its functioning, and the diseases that affect it.