About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension:
- It is a specific type of pulmonary hypertension that is caused when the tiny arteries in your lung become thickened and narrowed.
- This blocks the blood flow through the lungs which raises the blood pressure in the lungs and causes the heart to work harder to pump blood through those narrowed arteries.
- Causes:
- The exact cause of PAH is unknown but it is believed that PAH occurs when there is injury to the cells that line the blood vessels of the lung, which over time results in this blood vessel disease.
- It can also develop in association with other medical conditions including congenital heart disease, liver disease, HIV and connective tissue diseases — such as scleroderma and lupus.
- PAH can even be associated with past or present drug use, such as the use of methamphetamine or certain diet pills.
- Symptoms: Blue fingers or lips, Chest pain, Dizziness or fainting, Fatigue, Shortness of breath that gets worse over time etc.
- Treatment: While there are treatment options for PAH, there is no known cure.
