People of any age and sex can be affected by it, and if we know how to recognize its symptoms, it could be diagnosed in time and even cured. Therefore, knowing how pulmonary hypertension manifests itself is key if you want to treat it in time.
It consists of the elevation of blood pressure in the pulmonary arterial and venous circuit, which produces a difficulty for the function of the right ventricle, which cannot be emptied easily. If left untreated, pulmonary arterial hypertension can be fatal . The mortality of this disease in its natural course is very high and can occur in a short time.
For this reason, the recommendation of the experts is to go quickly to the specialist in case of any suspicion . This visit can provide an early diagnosis and allow patients to be transferred to reference centers in time to be effective, since the sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the better results are obtained, reducing their symptoms, limitations and, above all, increasing the lifetime and reducing mortality. In fact, there are treatments and procedures with which to stop its progression and even cure it in some cases. The presence of new, more powerful drugs with fewer side effects, as well as being easier to administer, have been key to these advances.
How does it manifest?
Dyspnea , fatigue or suffocation, which at the beginning of the disease appear with exertion but, after a while, can manifest themselves even at rest, are the most characteristic warning signs . But not the only ones. Other secondary symptoms consist of swelling of the legs and an increase in the size of the liver and the perimeter of the belly. It can even cause loss of consciousness, chest pain or cyanosis, which is the bluish hue that nails and lips acquire due to decreased oxygen in the blood, when the amount of blood that crosses the lung barrier to irrigate the body is extremely low.
As for what produces it, the experts explain that it usually occurs due to heart or lung diseases, and that it is a “rare” or uncommon disease when it affects only the arterial circuit (pulmonary arterial hypertension), either due to primary involvement or secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism . Specialists warn that we must be on the alert, especially when we belong to one of the population groups at risk, such as those affected by scleroderma, hereditary forms or post-pulmonary thromboembolism . To diagnose it, an echocardiogram is usually needed to see signs of increased pressure.
According to the Madrid Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (Neumomadrid) , this disease affects between 15 and 50 individuals per million people and, although it can occur in both men and women, it is more frequent in them . The good news is that it can be prevented. Specialists affirm that information on risk groups and knowledge about alarm symptoms and self-care is essential. Similarly, it is beneficial to avoid and control traditional cardiovascular risk factors : hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and smoking.
