In pulmonary arterial hypertension there is high blood pressure in your arteries, which travels from your heart to the lungs. Over time, the blood vessels in the lungs are blocked, narrowed, and destroyed. The damage hampers the blood flow to the organ, causing high blood pressure, and leading the heart to work more to pump blood. to the lungs This article details some things you must know about pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

7 Things to Know about Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

1. There is no clarity on the exact cause of PAH
You will be diagnosed with PAH when the average blood pressure that leaves the arteries on the heart’s right side is 25 mmHg or more. However, there is no clarity on what triggers this. In some people, a change in the gene passed from the families, substance abuse, prescription medicines for weight loss, any congenital heart disease, or conditions, such as chronic liver disease, HIV, or connective tissue disorder, might also become a cause for PAH.

2. There are indicative signs
Patients often experience breathlessness, chest pain, chest pressure, or heart palpitations, especially during a cardio workout. Some may even experience fainting. Further, with the progression of the disease, the patient feels perennially fatigued and breathless.

3. Diagnosis may take years
In many cases, patients tend to go for years without any formal diagnosis. This is because they tend to disregard the symptoms, which are mild and come and go during physical exertion.

4. Tests for diagnosis
PAH is not easy to diagnose. To confirm its development, doctors tend to order a series of tests, such as echocardiogram, CT scan, electrocardiogram, exercise testing, ventilation-perfusion scan, chest X-ray, and blood tests to check for lupus, HIV, or rheumatoid arthritis. If there is a positive indication in these tests, you will have to undergo right heart catheterization for certainty.

5. Women are at a greater risk than men
Typically, PAH can occur at any time and may affect anyone. However, it is most prevalent in women between the ages of 20-50. As such, there is no clarity on why women have a greater susceptibility, but studies suspect a role of estrogen in it. It may also be caused by the changes that occur during pregnancy.

6. There is no cure
Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease. However, your doctor will give you medicines for dilation and blood thinners, which can help the patient lead a normal life. In extreme cases, the doctor might even recommend a heart or lung transplant.

7. Survival and prognosis
The prognosis of PAH is much better today than what it used to be some two or three decades ago. Earlier, the average survival from the time of diagnosis was only two and a half years. Today, with proper disease management measures, the patient can live seven to ten years. Some even survive for two decades.