5th May World Pulmonary Hypertension Day

• What is Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) ?

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rapidly progressive disease which affects the lungs and heart. It is characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. There are 5 main types of PH which affect patients in different ways, all of which can lead to heart failure and death.

• What are the symptoms?

PH is a personal condition and symptoms can vary in each individual, common symptoms may include:

Breathlessness
Blue lips
Fatigue

Educating people to recognize the symptoms of PH could save lives.

• Treatment

A range of pharmaceutical treatments are available but they only treat 1 of the 5 types of PH, called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). There are currently 0 cures for 4 of the 5 forms of PH. The only potentially curative treatment available is surgery for 1 form of PH called thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Some patients are eligible for lung or heart transplant, although this is not always possible due to lack of available organs, or patients not being suitable for surgery.

Accurate and early diagnosis and treatment followed by continuous treatment monitoring can mean the difference between life and death.

More research is needed to improve understanding of how all 5 types can be treated effectively.

• Who is affected?

It is thought that there are more than 25 million patients globally. One of the rare types of PH, called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) affects approximately 52 people per million.

People of all ages, including children, can develop PH although it is most likely to be diagnosed in people between 40-50 years of age.

• The impact of PH

50% of patients die within two years if not treated. The death rate for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the most studied form of PH, is higher than both breast or colorectal cancers. PH can have a profound impact on many aspects of daily life such as having difficultly climbing stairs or simply getting dressed.

• Time matters for people with PH

Diagnosis of PH takes approximately 2 years due to delay. Symptoms are often non-specific meaning PH is frequently mistaken for asthma or other conditions. PH is a rapidly progressive disease and time lost in it's progression cannot be entirely regained. With earlier diagnosis and treatment, survival and quality of life could be significantly improved.

Thank you for reading and I hope this has given you an insight into PH. Love, Erika *All information has been from the PHA Europe Website* http://www.phaeurope.org/