My husband age 59, known case of congenital heart disease, coarctation of aorta operated 20 years back, now have asthma, now facing problem of pulmonary hypertension any new researches in this cases.
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Pulmonary hypertension occurs, when the pressure of lungs increase. Shortness of breath with exertion is the main symptom. This happens because the right ventricle can't force enough blood through the lungs to furnish enough oxygen. Chest pain often occurs. Fainting or loss of consciousness happens when the brain doesn't get enough oxygen. If you exert yourself, the need for oxygen may cause you to faint. Symptoms may become worse over time. How is it diagnosed? at your physical exam your doctor will ask you to describe your symptoms and other things about your health, especially what medications and drugs you have been taking. The symptoms already listed, especially when present in a young woman, make pph one possibility. If your doctor suspects pph, you will have an electrocardiogram, a procedure that records the electrical activity of your heart. Your electrocardiogram may show thickening of the muscle of the right ventricle. A chest x- ray may show evidence of decreased blood flow in the lungs. An echocardiogram, a test that uses ultrasound waves to create a picture of the heart, shows thickening of the right ventricle when pph is a cause of symptoms. The ultrasound waves can also make a reasonable measurement of the blood pressure in the arteries in the lungs. Sometimes a heart catheterization is needed to measure the pressure in the blood vessels in the lungs directly. Your health care provider will also need to test for other causes of high blood pressure in the lungs, such as blood clots in the lungs, diseases of the lung tissue, and liver diseases. How is it treated? pph used to be untreatable and always fatal, but current treatments seem to prolong survival. Blood thinners (anticoagulants) are usually used to prevent small blood clots that might further block blood flow through the lungs. The response to treatment varies from person to person. Some people benefit from the use of drugs called calcium antagonists. These drugs improve symptoms but aren't a cure. They expand (dilate) blood vessels in the lungs and improve blood flow. Prostacyclin, a normally occurring body hormone, may be given through a vein with the help of a special pump. Prostacyclin and a combination mixture of air and nitric oxide both may improve symptoms temporarily. In unusual cases people may be offered a heart-lung transplant.x ray
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