Which department should pulmonary hypertension be registered under?

Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

Updated on September 25, 2024

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Pulmonary hypertension is becoming increasingly common in our daily lives. Pulmonary hypertension refers to a condition where the pressure in the pulmonary artery exceeds 30 mmHg. If you have pulmonary hypertension and need to see a doctor, you might wonder which department to visit in such a large hospital with many departments. As the name implies, pulmonary hypertension is primarily characterized by an increase in pressure in the pulmonary artery. Therefore, you can make an appointment with the Department of Cardiology. Additionally, the Department of Respiratory Medicine or the Department of Vascular Surgery are also suitable options for seeking treatment.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei

Pulmonology

57sec

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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.

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Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

1min 21sec

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How is pulmonary hypertension treated?

The treatment of pulmonary hypertension mainly focuses on identifying the cause. For idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, treatment primarily targets vascular constriction, endothelial damage, thrombus formation, and heart failure. This is to restore the tension, resistance, and pressure of the pulmonary vessels, improve the patient's sexual function, increase cardiac output, and improve quality of life. The main treatments include: 1. Drug therapy, which includes calcium channel blockers, prostacyclin, nitric oxide, endothelin receptor antagonists, and related anticoagulants. Anticoagulants do not improve symptoms, but can slow down disease progression and improve prognosis in some aspects. However, in cases of right heart failure, hepatic congestion, and ascites, cardiotonic diuretics are used, such as digoxin and anti-calcium channel blockers, which can cause adverse reactions like decreased myocardial contractility. But these drugs should be administered under the guidance of a doctor. In advanced stages of pulmonary arterial hypertension, heart-lung transplantation may be considered.

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Written by Li Hai Wen

Cardiology

44sec

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Obvious symptoms of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a relatively common disease in everyday life. Based on the causes of pulmonary hypertension, it can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension. Regardless of the type of pulmonary hypertension, patients often exhibit certain symptoms, such as chest tightness and shortness of breath, which are the most common symptoms. In severe cases, some patients may even experience syncope. When pulmonary hypertension affects the heart, causing right ventricular enlargement, patients often show signs of right heart failure, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, lower limb edema, and gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and abdominal distension.

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Written by Chen Tian Hua

Cardiology

52sec

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Symptoms of pulmonary hypertension include:

The clinical symptoms of pulmonary hypertension primarily include: 1. Shortness of breath, which is the most common symptom of pulmonary hypertension. Many patients experience shortness of breath as their initial symptom, which is often related to physical activity. As the condition progresses, the shortness of breath tends to worsen. 2. Some patients may also experience chest pain, dizziness, or fainting. 3. Some patients may cough up blood, usually only a small amount, but occasionally there can be a significant amount. 4. Patients with pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may experience repeated symptoms of coughing and coughing up phlegm. 5. Patients with pulmonary hypertension often experience fatigue and weakness.

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Written by Zeng Wei Jie

Cardiology

46sec

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How is pulmonary hypertension measured?

There are usually two methods to measure pulmonary arterial hypertension. One is through echocardiography to estimate, by measuring the speed of tricuspid regurgitation and then calculating the systolic pressure of the pulmonary artery through a formula. This method may overestimate or underestimate, hence its accuracy is not reliable. The gold standard is measuring pulmonary artery pressure via right heart catheterization. The downside of this gold standard is that it is an invasive procedure, which needs to be performed in a catheterization room; compared to ultrasound, it is also more costly. These are the two methods, each with its pros and cons. We need to choose based on the patient's situation.