Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a rare disease affecting lung and heart. An increase in pulmonary artery pressure is caused due to the narrowing of the pulmonary blood vessels leading to restriction of pulmonary circulation, lesser gas exchange in the lungs and higher strain on the right ventricle concluding in the failure of the right ventricle.
The common symptoms of this disease are shortness of breath and weakness. Those at initial stages have symptoms like dyspnea and fatigue which are frequently misinterpreted as being symptoms of PPH. The signs of this disease are common to other health disorders as well, like heart and lung problems like anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and many other conditions.
Chest pain is one of the signs of PPH, but there are over thirty various reasons for chest pain and almost all of them are harmless.
Thus people suffering from any symptoms related to primary pulmonary hypertension should consult a doctor immediately and explain the various signs. It might even lead to death of the patient if not treatment effectively.
A person with signs of primary pulmonary hypertension is checked for the disease with the help of chest X-ray, an echocardiogram, or cardiac catheterization to test the pressure in the blood vessels in the lungs.
This pressure is very high in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension whereas in a normal person it is very low. The difference in the pressure is an indicator of the disease.
The actual cause of primary pulmonary hypertension is unknown however some people develop this disease due to the intake of certain diet drugs. This has lead to lawsuits against the manufacturers of these drugs due to the rise in cases of PPH in United States.
Primary pulmonary hypertension is also quite common among babies and should be dealt with as soon as being aware of it.
PPH in babies is a very serious condition and needs to be treated immediately through an operation. This can be done by closing a particular blood vessel and the blood vessels in the lungs will take up the responsibility of pumping the blood and the baby can be saved.
Other common treatments include calcium channel blockers taken orally, diuretics, anticoagulants, intravenous prostacyclin, supplemental oxygen, or lung/heart-lung transplant.