This article was medically reviewed by Janice Litza, MD. Dr. Litza is a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician based in Racine, Wisconsin. With over 25 years of educational and professional experience, she has extensive experience providing full-spectrum Family Medicine, including obstetrics, newborn care, and hospital medicine. She is currently the Residency Program Director for Family Medicine at Ascension. Dr. Litza received her MD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and has completed additional fellowship training in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona.
There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare blood vessel disorder caused by changes in the blood vessels of your lungs that creates increased pressure in your lungs. The increased pressure makes your heart work harder, which can cause symptoms of heart or lung problems. The heart and lung problems that PH may cause can make it difficult to diagnose the problem. Pulmonary hypertension is frequently misdiagnosed because it shares many of the same symptoms with other diseases. Understanding your risk factors and which symptoms are most concerning can help you and your doctor identify pulmonary hypertension and start treatment.
Steps
Identifying Your Symptoms
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Pay attention to any pain in your chest or abdomen. Pain or discomfort can indicate that you may have pulmonary hypertension. The pain caused by pulmonary hypertension may present in your chest or on the upper right side of your abdomen.[1]
- Call you doctor if you are having pain in your chest or upper right side of your abdomen.
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2Note a decreased appetite. Losing your appetite can also indicate that you may have pulmonary hypertension. If you have noticed that you are not as hungry as you normally are, then tell your doctor.[2]Advertisement
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3Identify a racing heartbeat. If your heart is beating faster than normal, then this can also be a symptom of pulmonary hypertension. Note this symptoms along with any others and tell your doctor about it.[3]
- You can check your heart rate by taking your pulse. Place your index and ring finger on the inside of your wrist and search for a pulse. Then, apply gentle pressure until you can feel the pulse.
- Set a timer for 60 seconds and count the number of beats in your pulse. A normal pulse range for adults is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, so anything over 100 may be considered abnormal.
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4Pay attention to your tiredness or fatigue. If you find yourself becoming tired easily or fatigued, then this could be a symptom of pulmonary hypertension. You might notice that you feel tired from routine chores or things that you used to be able to do with ease.[4]
- For example, doing the dishes might be an easy chore for someone without PH, but someone with PH may become tired after doing the dishes or feel too tired to even finish doing them.
- Tell your doctor right away if you find it hard to do routine tasks because this may indicate that the disease is advanced.
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Note shortness of breath. People with PH usually note that their problems breathing begin while they are active (running, exercising, or walking), but after time, you might eventually find yourself struggling for breath while resting.[5]
- If you find it difficult to do simple activities without losing your breath, call a doctor immediately. The disease may have advanced significantly.
- Shortness of breath may also lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting.[6]
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Check for swelling. You may notice swelling in your wrists, ankles, and legs. This is called edema. If untreated, the swelling will spread to your abdomen (a condition known as ascites).[7]
- To check for edema, press lightly on your ankle or wrist. If an indentation appears where your finger pressed, you may have edema. Your skin may also appear stretched or shiny.[8]
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Inspect your skin for blue coloration. You may notice that your lips, gums, nails, and the skin around your eyes appear to have a bluish tint to them. This is called cyanosis.[9] Cyanosis is caused by a lack of oxygen in your blood, which may be caused by PH or by a clot, high altitude, or another lung disease.[10]Advertisement
Assessing Your Risk
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Examine your existing medical conditions. PH may be caused by other existing medical conditions. If you have certain diseases or disorders, you may be at heightened risk for PH. These conditions include:
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Review your family medical history. In some cases, PH is genetic. Ask your parents, siblings, and other family members to see if there is a history of PH in your family. If there is, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible to check if your symptoms are related to PH.[13]
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Determine if you have taken certain diet pills. The diet pill “fen-phen" (also known as dexfenfluramine and phentermine) can cause pulmonary hypertension. Even if you haven’t taken this pill in years, you could still be at risk. Users of fen-phen are 23 times more likely to develop PH than non-users.[14]
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Factor in your age and gender. While PH can occur in anyone at any age, women are twice as likely to develop it as men. Furthermore, young adults are at higher risk for PH than older age groups.[15] Take this into consideration when you are reviewing your symptoms.
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Determine your altitude. People living in low oxygen conditions are more likely to develop PH. If you live in a high altitude, it is increasingly likely that your symptoms are signs of PH.[16] A high altitude location is defined as a place that is between 8000-14,000 ft (2438-4267 m) above sea level.[17]Advertisement
Visiting Your Doctor
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Check if other heart conditions are the cause. PH shares many of the same symptoms with other heart and lung diseases. Your doctor may start you on medicine or start an evaluation to check for more common heart or lung conditions, which may reveal that you have PH. If you aren't getting better, further evaluation will be needed to check for PH. To help your doctor, be clear about all of the different symptoms you have experienced.[18]
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Do a physical exam. Your doctor will check you for signs of edema and cyanosis. He or she may listen to your heart or lungs for signs of irregular beating.[19] You may even be asked to walk a short six minute circuit to see how well you can move and breathe.[20] After these tests, your doctor will determine what other types of tests you will need.
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Complete any recommended tests. Your doctor will schedule any tests he or she thinks you need to have done. This is highly individual, and your doctor will determine what the best course of action is for your unique medical history. Some tests you may be asked to do include:
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Determine which type of PH you are suffering from. There are many forms of PH that may manifest in sufferers. Working with your doctor, you may be able to determine which form is affecting you. This will help your doctor decide what type of medical treatment is best for you. PH is divided into five classifications:[23]
- Group 1 is Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. In this form of PH, the arterial walls of the lungs tighten, causing the heart to overexert itself pumping blood. This can be heritable (caused by genes), associated (caused by another disease such as lupus), or idiopathic (the cause is unknown).
- Group 2 includes any form of PH caused by left-sided heart disease. For example, this could be caused by mitral valve or aortic valve disease.
- Group 3 includes any form of PH caused by lung disease, including sleep disorders and high altitude related sicknesses.
- Group 4 is Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This is a type of PH caused by blood clots in the lungs.
- Group 5 includes all forms of PH with uncertain or multiple causes. This may include blood or metabolic disorders.
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Expert Q&A
Tips
Warnings
- Symptoms will worsen as the disease progresses. Seek treatment as early as possible for the best results.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/syc-20350697
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryhypertension.html
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryhypertension.html
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryhypertension.html
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/dxc-20197481
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/dxc-20197481
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/dxc-20197481
- ↑ http://www.aafp.org/afp/2013/0715/p102.html
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/dxc-20197481
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003215.htm
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/dxc-20197481
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pah/diagnosis
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1006029-overview
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pah/diagnosis
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Pulmonary_Hypertension_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment
- ↑ http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pah/diagnosis
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/syc-20350697
- ↑ http://www.phassociation.org/Treatments
- ↑ http://www.phassociation.org/Patients/DoctorsWhoTreatPH
About this article
If you are experiencing symptoms like pain in your chest or the upper right side of your abdomen, decreased appetite, and fatigue, you may be suffering from a rare blood vessel disorder called pulmonary hypertension. Talk to your doctor about your family history, since this disorder can sometimes be genetic, as well as your existing medical conditions, which can put you at higher risk if you have a connective tissue disorder or HIV, for example. Additionally, keep in mind that situational factors, like living at an altitude between 8,000 and 14,000 feet or being young and female, can also increase your risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. To determine an official diagnosis, your doctor will most likely want to do a physical exam in addition to various chest and blood tests. For more tips from our Medical co-author, including how to determine which type of pulmonary hypertension you have, read on.
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