Latest Research. Pulmonary Hypertension

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension are subtle in the early stages of the disease and may not be noticeable for months or even years. As the disease progresses, signs and symptoms become worse. They include:

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea), either while exercising or at rest
• Dizziness or fainting spells (syncope)
• Swelling (edema) in your ankles, legs and eventually in your abdomen (ascites)
• Chest pressure or pain
• Racing pulse or heart palpitations
• Bluish color to your lips and skin (cyanosis)

Definition

You’ve probably heard of high blood pressure (hypertension), a common condition that affects the way your blood flows through the arteries in your body from the left side of your heart. A less common type of high blood pressure, called pulmonary hypertension, affects only the arteries in the lungs and the right side of your heart.

Pulmonary hypertension begins when tiny arteries in your lungs, called pulmonary arteries and capillaries, become narrowed, blocked or destroyed. This makes it harder for blood to flow through your lungs, which raises pressure within the pulmonary arteries. As the pressure builds, your heart’s lower right chamber (right ventricle) must work harder to pump blood through your lungs, eventually causing your heart muscle to weaken and sometimes fail completely.

Pulmonary hypertension is a serious illness that becomes progressively worse and is sometimes fatal. Although it isn’t curable, treatments are available that can help lessen symptoms and improve your quality of life if you have pulmonary hypertension.

Causes

Your heart has two upper and two lower chambers. Each time blood passes through your heart, the lower right chamber (right ventricle) pumps blood to your lungs through a large blood vessel (pulmonary artery). In your lungs, the blood releases carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen. The oxygen-rich blood then flows through the pulmonary veins to the left side of your heart. From there, it’s pumped by the left ventricle to the rest of your body through another large blood vessel, the aorta.

Ordinarily, the blood flows easily through the vessels in your lungs, so your blood pressure is usually much lower in your lungs. With pulmonary hypertension, the rise in blood pressure is the end result of a process that begins with changes in the cells that line your lungs’ arteries. These changes cause the formation of extra tissue that eventually narrows or completely blocks the blood vessels. Scarring (fibrosis) usually also occurs, making the arteries stiff and narrow. This makes it harder for blood to flow, raising the pressure in the pulmonary arteries. more...