Pulmonary hypertension is seen in what disease?

Written by Tang Li
Cardiology
Updated on September 25, 2024
00:00
00:00

Pulmonary arterial hypertension can be seen in various diseases. The first major category is arterial pulmonary hypertension. Patients may have idiopathic arterial pulmonary hypertension, familial pulmonary hypertension, and arterial pulmonary hypertension caused by related diseases. Such as collagen vascular disease, portal hypertension, HIV infection, drug or toxin-induced thyroid dysfunction, myeloproliferative disorders, splenectomy, and hemoglobinopathies can also lead to arterial pulmonary hypertension. Venous pulmonary hypertension is mostly associated with left heart system diseases, such as left atrial and left ventricular heart diseases, left heart valvular diseases. Conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, and sleep apnea related to hypotension also lead to pulmonary hypertension. Another category is chronic thrombotic or thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. For instance, proximal or distal pulmonary artery thromboembolism, parts such as tumors, parasites, and foreign objects can also cause pulmonary embolism, thereby causing thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
57sec home-news-image

How dangerous is pulmonary hypertension?

Pulmonary hypertension is itself a very complex disease, with many causative factors in clinical practice. In the early stages, patients may only exhibit symptoms such as shortness of breath after activity, difficulty breathing, and overall fatigue. However, as the condition gradually worsens, patients may experience chest tightness, rapid breathing, and even chest pain, fainting, or dizziness. If the patient also has right heart dysfunction, they may experience symptoms like swelling of the lower limbs, as well as diarrhea and abdominal distension. Therefore, if pulmonary hypertension patients are definitively diagnosed and do not receive timely appropriate treatment, the accompanying clinical symptoms may rapidly worsen. The patient's life may be at risk due to severe symptoms such as hypoxia or fainting.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
1min 7sec home-news-image

Pulmonary hypertension vomiting, what's the matter?

In the early stages, arterial hypertension may present no symptoms. However, when it reaches a certain severity, it can lead to difficulties in breathing, tightness in the chest, and may cause edema in the gastrointestinal tract, facial swelling, and fluid accumulation in the abdominal and thoracic cavities. When gastrointestinal edema becomes severe, patients may experience nausea, vomiting, and a significant loss of appetite. Thus, these are symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Some cases of vomiting occur because patients consume high-fat foods that are not absorbed in a timely manner, leading to gastrointestinal bloating which causes nausea and vomiting. Additionally, some cases involve patients who use diuretics to reduce swelling; they often experience vomiting due to electrolyte imbalances, such as low sodium and low potassium levels.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
1min 1sec home-news-image

Does pulmonary hypertension require oxygen therapy?

Whether pulmonary arterial hypertension requires oxygen therapy primarily depends on the patient's blood oxygen saturation level at rest. Generally, it is recommended to measure the oxygen saturation for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Due to intrapulmonary shunting and shunting between the left and right heart during pulmonary arterial hypertension, arterial and venous blood mix directly, resulting in very low blood oxygen saturation in patients. Generally speaking, if the measured blood oxygen saturation at rest is below 90%, such patients often need oxygen therapy. Even if it does not drop below 90%, patients with moderate to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension also require oxygen therapy. Oxygen therapy can improve hypoxia, significantly dilating the pulmonary vessels and thus alleviating symptoms of high pulmonary artery pressure. It is very valuable for improving patient prognosis and survival time.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Li
Cardiology
1min 57sec home-news-image

Is moderate pulmonary hypertension serious?

Pulmonary hypertension is a common clinical condition with complex etiology, which can be caused by various cardiac, pulmonary, or pulmonary vascular diseases. The current diagnostic criteria for pulmonary hypertension are an average pulmonary arterial pressure greater than 25 mmHg at sea level in a resting state, or greater than 30 mmHg during exercise, as measured via right heart catheterization. The severity of pulmonary hypertension can be categorized based on resting average pulmonary arterial pressure levels into mild (26 to 35 mmHg), moderate (36 to 45 mmHg), and severe (greater than 45 mmHg). Echocardiography is the most important non-invasive screening method for pulmonary hypertension. Assessing the severity of moderate pulmonary hypertension not only involves the measurement of average pulmonary arterial pressure but also necessitates identifying its etiology. Since pulmonary hypertension is a disease with a complex etiology, it is crucial to first clarify the cause, and then further determine the patient's cardiopulmonary function status, whether it is in a compensatory or decompensatory stage. Additionally, it is important to determine if there are any related complications, such as pulmonary hypertension stemming from lung-induced conditions. When patients exhibit complications like pulmonary encephalopathy, acid-base imbalance, electrolyte disturbances, arrhythmias, or even shock and gastrointestinal bleeding, the severity of pulmonary hypertension can be extremely severe.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zeng Wei Jie
Cardiology
36sec home-news-image

Late-stage symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension

The prognosis of pulmonary hypertension depends on the function of the right heart. The main symptoms in the final stage of pulmonary hypertension are those of right heart failure. At this time, the patient mainly shows symptoms such as swelling of the lower limbs, oliguria, and abdominal distension. The difficulty in breathing may be slightly less severe than in the early stages. These symptoms are mainly caused by venous congestion in the systemic circulation, which prevents blood from returning from the lower limbs, leading to edema or ascites in the lower parts of the body.