The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Pulmonary hypertension, a rarely detected illness

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Monday, Oct 13, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

Pulmonary hypertension, a rarely detected illness

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: While there is much focus and awareness on preventing lifestyle diseases, there are some diseases that may have to be categorised differently. Pulmonary hypertension is not brought on by age, lifestyle, diet or stress. But, chronic smokers and alcoholics are the risk groups. In rare cases it may have no obvious cause at all, said cardiologist S. Krishna Kumar.

Chronic smokers often develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and this may lead to pulmonary hypertension. Blood pressure is diagnosed very quickly by any doctor. Pulmonary hypertension is hard to detect, even by specialist doctors of heart or lung.

The upcoming annual conference of Paediatric Cardiac Society of India in the city next month will be having a pre-conference symposium dedicated to the subject.

In people with pulmonary hypertension, blood is unable to reach all parts of the body adequately, especially, in times of need like during exercise.

They are unable to exercise or run. On exerting, they lose breath or even faint. Later, they may not even be able to walk or carry out simple daily activities.

If the condition is untreated, patients may die in a year or two or some may carry on for five years. Symptoms like breathlessness on exertion and lack of stamina for doing routine work may be the result of any number of diseases or low nutritional diet.

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