If you are a woman over the age of 40, and have been suffering from breathlessness, chest pains, dizziness and fatigue, you could have pulmonary hypertension (PH).
It is caused by high blood pressure in the arteries of the lung, leading to heart failure. However, it is often misdiagnosed as bronchitis, asthma or congestive heart disease.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a variant of the disease that affects around 15 to 20 people per 10 lakh population. To create awareness on the disease, May 5 has been declared World Pulmonary Hypertension Day, according to T.S. Srinath, consultant interventional cardiologist at SRM Institute of Medical Sciences. Left untreated, PH can cause right heart failure, which is fatal.
The most common form of PH is idiopathic, but there are several causes for the disease including pulmonary embolisms and undiagnosed congenital heart defects. “ With proper intervention, it is possible to manage the condition,” he added.
