What is Pulmonary Hyptertension (PH)?
Pulmonary hypertension means literally “high blood pressure within the lungs”. This can range from mild to very severe. The symptoms of PH are nonspecific which can make it hard to diagnose. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, shortness of breath, (especially noticed with exercise), chest discomfort, lightheadedness, and passing out. It is usually most reliably diagnosed with a cardiac echocardiogram. With timely recognition and appropriate treatment patients with PH can experience marked improvement in their ability to do daily activities and exercise, quality of life and lengthened survival. PH is a very serious illness, but new treatments developed in the last few years hold new promise for patients with this condition.
