MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
November 24, 2009
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary
Font Size
A
A
A

Pulmonary Hypertension (cont.)

What are the signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension?

Many people with pulmonary hypertension may have no symptoms at all, especially if the disease is mild or in early stages.

Pulmonary hypertension symptoms may include:

  • The most common symptoms of pulmonary hypertension is shortness of breath that worsens with activity.

  • Other common complaints are cough, fatigue, dizziness, and lethargy.

  • With the advancement of the condition and ensuing right heart failure, shortness of breath may get worse and retention of fluid in the body may increase (due to failure of the heart to pump blood forward) resulting in swelling the legs.

  • People may also complain of chest pain and angina.

Signs of pulmonary hypertension may include:

  • A rapid breathing, hypoxia (low oxygen level in the blood), and swelling in the legs.

  • In severe pulmonary hypertension, the doctor may hear louder than normal components of heart sounds when he or she listens to the heart with a stethoscope (auscultation).

  • The doctor may also feel elevation of the chest wall when the heart pumps and this may indicate enlargement of the right side of the heart suggestive of pulmonary hypertension (right ventricular heave).

How is pulmonary hypertension diagnosed?

The first step in diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension is to clinically suspect it. This may be done as part of an evaluation of another disease that can lead to pulmonary hypertension (such as scleroderma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or based on patients and signs and symptoms as described above.

Many tests, such as echocardiogram, may be performed that be give us clues to the possibility of pulmonary hypertension. But the gold standard (the best test available) is right heart catheterization. This test entails inserting a catheter through the groin into the femoral vein, a large vein in the lower body (or under the collar bone or in the upper arm into the subclavian vein, a large vein in the upper body) and advancing it to the right side of the heart. The catheter is connected to a device that can monitor and measure blood pressure in the right side of the heart and pulmonary arteries.

During right heart catheterization, response to certain medication to treat pulmonary hypertension can be assessed. This is done by administering medications for pulmonary hypertension while the patients still has the catheter placed in heart. Then pulmonary blood pressure is monitored and the response to treatment is compared to no treatment. This can give the physicians a clue as to if an individual is a candidate for a certain therapy and also what dosage of the medicine may be appropriate.

Pulmonary hypertension is defined as the mean pulmonary artery blood pressure greater than 25 millimeter of mercury (mmHg) measured by right heart catheterization. The pressures can be much higher than 25 mmHg in some people. Therefore, the pulmonary hypertension can be labeled as mild, moderate, or severe based on the pressures. Mean arterial pressure is two-thirds of the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure (systolic is the upper number and diastolic is the lower number in measuring blood pressure). As explained above, the pulmonary blood pressure is much lower than the systemic blood pressure.

What tests other than right heart catheterization may be used in diagnosing pulmonary hypertension?

Other tests available for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension include electrocardiogram (ECG), chest x-ray, and echocardiogram. An ECG may show some abnormalities that may be suggestive of right heart failure. Chest x-ray may also show enlargement of the chambers of the right heart. And echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) shows ultrasound images of the heart and can detect evidence of right heart failure and pressures in the pulmonary artery can be estimated. These tests, in the right clinical setting, are very useful in diagnosing pulmonary hypertension.

Other tests may be useful in evaluating the conditions leading to secondary pulmonary hypertension. For example, a ventilation-perfusion scan (V/Q scan) can detect blood clots in the pulmonary arteries suggesting chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. A pulmonary function test can be useful in diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).



Next: What is the treatment for pulmonary hypertension? »

Pulmonary Hypertension - Describe Your Symptoms

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

Please describe your symptoms of pulmonary hypertension.

Anonymously share your comment to help others. Patient Discussions FAQs
See 23 Viewer Comments

Submit Your Comment


Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • Calcium Channel Blockers - Establishes the medication calcium channel blockers (CCBs), which are drugs used for treating high blood pressure, angina, and abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation.
  • CT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography) - CT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography, CAT scan) is a procedure that assists in diagnosing tumors, fractures, bony structures, and infections in the organs and tissues of the body.
  • Fainting (Syncope) - Fainting or syncope can be caused by deydration, medications, diabetes, pregnancy, anemia, heart conditions, age, and more. Diagnosis and treatment information is included in the information.

Latest Medical News


Women's Health

Find out what women really need.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain












Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.