Saturday, June 22, 2013

Pulmonary Hypertension: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment


Pulmonary hypertension is a disorder which is caused when the blood pressure in the lungs' arteries, also known as the pulmonary arteries, is very high and at an abnormal level. If a person is suffering from this condition, he generally has a truncation of breath after travail and energy loss. Some may even feel weak and exhausted, or may lose consciousness. Chest X-rays and scans, electrocardiography, and echocardiography are needed to diagnose this disease. However, the mensuration of the level of blood pressure in the right heart ventricle and the pulmonary artery is required for confirmation.

What is Pulmonary Hypertension?

The lungs' arteries are responsible for carrying blood from the heart's right side into the lungs, after which carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and oxygen is put into it. Generally, these arteries have a low pressure, which makes the heart's right side less muscly than the left one. The heart's left side is more muscly as it pumps blood to the whole body. Pulmonary hypertension is caused when the blood pressure in the arteries rises to an abnormally increased level. In such a condition, the heart's right side has to take extra efforts to pump the blood through the arteries into the lungs. If the heart functions in such a manner for a considerable amount of time, the right ventricle thickens and expands, thus causing the heart to fail.

Causes

There are various causes which contribute to pulmonary hypertension, such as HIV, drugs, lung diseases, and hypoxia. Left-sided heart failure is the most common cause, and occurs if any valve in the heart doesn't work normally, the pressure of the blood is abnormally high in the left ventricle, or due to previously experienced heart attacks. It can also be caused due to a disease which disables the heart muscles in their pumping function. If the lungs are affected by any disease, an extra effort is required to pump blood through them. Low levels of oxygen in the blood can make the pulmonary arteries narrow, which may contribute to pulmonary hypertension. If a person stays at a place which is at a higher altitude for a longer time, it can lower the level of oxygen in the blood.

Symptoms

If a person is unable to breathe properly after exerting his body, it is considered as a primary symptom of pulmonary hypertension. One who has breathing problems immediately needs to be checked and diagnosed for this disease. He may also feel weak or dizzy after exercising or a workout. It is because of the body tissues not getting sufficient amounts of oxygen. He may even experience cough and sneezing due to a lung disorder, and swelling due to a leakage of the fluid in the blood vessels into the tissues. Swelling normally occurs in the legs, and is a signal that the heart's right side is about to stop functioning.

Treatment

The treatment for this disease is to be commenced immediately after the disease has been diagnosed. Vasodilators, medicines to dilate blood vessels, like calcium channel blockers and prostacyclin analogs are helpful for individuals suffering from HIV, dermatosclerosis, and chronic liver diseases. However, these medicines have not proven to be helpful for individuals suffering from an underlying lung disorder. Those with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension can take vasodilators such as prostacyclin which drastically lower the blood pressure in the lungs' arteries. If prostacyclin is given to the patient through his vein using a catheter (a thin flexible tube inserted into the body), it meliorates the survival chances and sustains the time until lung transplantation is needed. However, before treating the patient with prostacyclin, physicians check its effectiveness on the patient, as it can also be harmful to some individuals. Nowadays hypodermic and inhaled forms of prostacyclin are also available.

People who are mildly affected with pulmonary hypertension are treated orally with endothelin receptor blockers, bosentan, and ambrisentan. 'Iloprost', a medicine which has effects similar to prostacyclin may also be used by inhalation. For patients who have a low amount of oxygen in the blood, oxygen may be supplied through nasal prongs or oxygen masks which may lower the blood pressure in the arteries, and may help the patient to breathe normally. Anticoagulant medications may be used as well to prevent blood clots. Though lung transplantation is a recommended procedure for treating patients with this disease, it can only be carried out with patients who are healthy enough to withstand the potential effects and hardships of the process.

If one is experiencing the above mentioned symptoms, he needs to immediately consult a doctor and undergo a medical examination to find traces of pulmonary hypertension.

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