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Medical Author:

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.

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Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• What are pulmonary arteries?
• What is pulmonary hypertension?
• What are primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension?
• What causes pulmonary hypertension?
• What causes primary pulmonary hypertension?
• How common is pulmonary hypertension?
• What are the signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension?
• How is pulmonary hypertension diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for pulmonary hypertension?
• What is the life expectancy for pulmonary hypertension?
• Patient Comments: Pulmonary Hypertension - Share Your Experience
• Patient Comments: Pulmonary Hypertension - Treatments
• Patient Comments: Pulmonary Hypertension - Symptoms
• Find a local Cardiologist in your town
• Pulmonary Hypertension Index

In the conventional classification, pulmonary hypertension, which is also called pulmonary arterial hypertension, is divided into two main categories; 1) primary pulmonary hypertension (not caused by any other disease or condition); and 2) secondary pulmonary hypertension (caused by another underlying condition). Secondary pulmonary hypertension is much more common than primary pulmonary hypertension.

A newer classification of this condition is based on the main underlying cause of pulmonary hypertension. This system classifies the condition based on whether it is due to:

• Pulmonary hypertension from a variety of causes, some known and others unknown, such as:
  
  
  • drug-induced pulmonary artery hypertension,
    
    
  • pulmonary artery hypertension associated with collagen vascular diseases, HIV, and schistosomiasis (a parasitic infection), and
    
    
  • pulmonary arterial hypertension of unknown cause (idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension)
    
    
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension from left-sided heart disease, often referred to as pulmonary venous hypertension, including thickening of the heart muscle, decrease heart pump function, and disorders of the heart valves
  
  
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with lung disease and or persistent drop in oxygen levels (hypoxia) including:
  
  
  • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease),
    
    
  • sleep apnea,
    
    
  • pulmonary fibrosis, and
    
    
  • living at high elevations
    
    
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension from blood clotting disorders that deliver clots to the lung (pulmonary emboli) or are formed directly in the lung arteries (pulmonary thrombosis), also known as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension;
  
  
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension from miscellaneous causes with unclear multifactorial mechanisms; including diseases such as:
  
  
  • sarcoidosis,
    
    
  • tumor obstruction,
    
    
  • metabolic disorders (glycogen storage disease), and
    
    
  • kidney failure