What are the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension?
Yesterday we discussed about what is pulmonary hypertension. Now you must have a hint on what it really is. However, online pharmacy helps you to understand it in detail.
In my previous article I highlighted the basic symptoms of the disease but they were just a short list and the most common ones. Here is what you must see for differentiating it from other diseases of pulmonary and cardiac origin.
What should be the symptoms that I will have to look for?
Though the early symptoms of the disorder are non-specific they may develop over time. These are the most important symptoms that are commonly present if you are a pulmonary hypertension patient:
• shortness of breath,
• Dyspnea
• fatigue
• non-productive cough
• angina pectoris
• fainting or syncope
• peripheral edema (swelling around the ankles and feet)
There may be hemoptysis (coughing up blood) in some cases but that is very are rare.
Although these symptoms are indicative of a major problem, these develop gradually over time thus delaying the patients to see the physician. Some people may delay it so much that they will not go to the doctor for years. This will further deteriorate your health and makes your recovery very much difficult.
There are even some differences in the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension that arises in the arteries and veins of the pulmonary vasculature. If it is of the venous origin it will make you short of breath while you are lying flat (orthopnea) or sleeping (paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea), while in the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) it typically does not have such symptoms.
What signs will a physician check in pulmonary hypertension?
As long as the physician is regarded, he might have to check some significant signs in your arsenal. For this he will have to perform a physical exam on you thus to look out for typical signs of this disease such as:
• a loud P2 (pulmonic valve closure sound)
• (Para)sternal heave
• jugular venous distension
• pedal edema
• ascites
• hepatojugular reflex
• clubbing
• tricuspid insufficiency
What is the significance of these signs for the physician?
These signs are of the cardiovascular origin and therefore are of utmost importance for the physician to scrutinize the disease.
There is usually an increased pulmonic component of the second heart sound which indicates paradoxic or splitting that is present is severe right ventricular dysfunction. Here the second heart sound may be palpable in many instances to the physician.
In many a cases there might be regurgitation of the pulmonic origin also called as Graham Steell murmur.
Most of the times a murmur of tricuspid regurgitation can well be present, while a right ventricular lift (heave) may also be noted.
In cases of volume overload or right ventricular failure, or even when both co exists there is an elevated Jugular venous pulsations. Here we often see Large V waves due to severe tricuspid regurgitation.
Hepatomegaly is often always present with palpable pulsations of the liver along with an abnormal abdominal-jugular reflex.
Ascites (abdominal swelling due to the accumulation of fluid) are present in untreated patients or in patients with worsening decompensated right heart failure.
Pitting edema with varying degrees may be present while if you are bedridden you are likely to develop
Extremity examination may reveal pitting edema of varying degrees. Patients who are bedridden may have presacral edema.
On examination of the lungs the findings are usually normal for the general population.
Now you must keep in mind that these are the signs that help the physicians to diagnose your disease. For further diagnosis and confirmation of pulmonary hypertension, the physicians may also require
more important and specific tests.
Creative work and thinking is not bound to be within nine-to-five job, so my motivation of curiosity compel to start online blogs to share my ideas and experience with others. I am pharmacist by profession (doctor of pharmacy). Drugs have become increasingly complex and people are being prescribed often. Through online pharmacy has changed our lives today now it is very easy to get medicine via pharmacy online. Now you can buy quality medicine through pharmacy online
