Heat, heart problems, asthma or old age – that’s what we associate with breathlessness. Meanwhile, it is the first symptom of pulmonary hypertension, which affects people 35 years of age and younger, and women are twice as likely as men.
Blue lipstick on the lips, also male – such photos appeared on Facebook and Instagram profiles. It looks fun, but there is nothing funny about it. This is the #WorldPHDay campaign on the occasion of the World Day of Pulmonary Hypertension. In Poland, it is entitled “Out of breath … for patients with pulmonary hypertension” and involved a dozen of actresses and actors, presenters, dancers and dancers. The action is to sensitize to problems that patients with pulmonary hypertension have to deal with on a daily basis.
What is this disease?
Pulmonary hypertension is caused by an increase in pressure in the pulmonary circulation, that is, in the blood circulation between the right ventricle and the left atrium of the heart. This leads to the enlargement of the right ventricle and, as a result, to heart failure.
The most common hypertension is COPD, i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and left ventricular failure. Hypertension caused by the overgrowth of small pulmonary arteries – arterioles – is less common. Thickening and stiffening of their walls block the blood supply to the alveoli, which is life-threatening for patients. Equally dangerous is pulmonary hypertension associated with thromboembolism, because it can lead to a thrombus tearing in the artery, which – if it does not dissolve in time – after getting to larger than arterioles of the lungs blocks them and causes embolism.
What symptoms appear first?
Dyspnoea during exercise appears first. After a while, it does not disappear even during a long rest. This makes it impossible for patients to function on a daily basis. Another symptom is lower limb swelling and blue lips. These symptoms may be similar to COPD and yet a spirometry test may reveal nothing.
In order to be sure of a diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, other tests should be performed. First of all, the so-called echo and ultrasound of the heart, because it will reveal or exclude the enlargement of the right ventricle.
How to Treat Pulmonary Hypertension?
Until a dozen or so years ago, half of patients with pulmonary hypertension survived only five years from the moment of diagnosis. Today only six percent of the sick die. Where did this change come from? Today, doctors recognize pulmonary hypertension more quickly. The effectiveness of treatment is mainly determined by the early detection of the disease. It can be difficult because the symptoms are often ignored or confused with the symptoms of neurosis, especially in young people.
The only method to completely eliminate the disease is lung transplantation. In Poland, more than 20 such operations are performed every year. The rest are left with medication for the rest of their lives. The problem is that not all drugs already known in the world are available in Poland. Instead, we have as many as 23 centers that successfully treat patients with pulmonary hypertension. They manage not only to slow down, but also to stop the development of the disease.
Polish educational campaign on pulmonary hypertension will last until the end of May. Its ambassadors were, among others: Agnieszka Kaczorowska, Anna Popek, Julka Wróblewska, Jan Kliment, Paulina Drażba, Dorota Czaja and Olga Borys. Throughout the year, patients can seek support from the Association of People with Pulmonary Hypertension and Their Friends (www.phapolska.org).