Pulmonary hypertensia

General characteristic of a disease

Pulmonary hypertensia is a disease of an unknown etiology which does not correspond to cardiac or pulmonary pathologies at all. Primary pulmonary hypertensia is characterized by increase in pulmonary pressure that, in turn, leads to narrowing or full closing of a gleam of averages and small pulmonary vessels. Effects of a disease are: tendency to a thrombogenesis, emergence and development of a pulmonary heart, heart failure.

Secondary pulmonary hypertensia which treatment has to be carried out along with treatment of a basic disease is a consequence of heart diseases, pulmonary diseases and some other states. Both forms of a disease strike women (7 of 10 registered cases) more often.

The main reason for a disease – chronic diseases of lungs and heart diseases. An exception is primary pulmonary hypertensia which develops without any visible reason.

Pulmonary hypertensia - disease symptoms

The most precursory and most characteristic symptom of pulmonary hypertensia – severe short wind from insignificant exercise stresses. Often it is shown even at rest. Among other symptoms of a disease It should be noted:

• weakness, fatigue;
• the faints arising because of a vasospasm;
• heartaches;
• pneumorrhagia;
• often at patients hoarseness of a voice is observed.

Let's note that usually symptoms of pulmonary hypertensia are expressed quite poorly therefore the final diagnosis is made only after full inspection of lungs and heart of the person.

Degrees of pulmonary hypertensia

Classification of stages of a disease which you will find below was offered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and now is standard among doctors from the different countries of the world.

I – exercise stresses do not cause an asthma, weakness and other symptoms of a disease;

II – physical activity is limited – pulmonary hypertensia at children and adults is followed by a small asthma, weakness, pains in a thorax, dizzinesses;

III – physical activity of patients is considerably reduced – pulmonary hypertensia which symptoms at this stage are usually brightly expressed, leads to dizzinesses, thorax pains, severe short wind;

IV - patients cannot transfer even small exercise stresses, an asthma is present and at rest, the person feels strong discomfort and constant pains.

Pulmonary hypertensia – treatment and forecasts

Irrespective of degree of pulmonary hypertensia, patients with alarming symptoms have to be inspected in cardiological department for the choice of therapy and specification of nature of a disease. During the recovery actions to the patient correction of cordial activity is carried out, and also special drugs which influence normalization of pulmonary pressure are selected.

Coagulability of blood is a one more unpleasant complication by which pulmonary hypertensia is followed. Treatment of similar changes consists in correction of adverse symptoms and constant tracking of a condition of the patient. At the expressed respiratory insufficiency the urgent oxygen therapy is carried out.

After an extract has to follow from a hospital of people to all recommendations of the attending physician and accept maintenance doses of various drugs. Besides, to it appoint a special diet and the individual plan of exercise stresses, and also the schedule of compulsory vaccination against flu and pulmonary infections.

If primary pulmonary hypertensia continues to develop, despite use of a conservative technique of treatment, doctors have to consider about expediency of surgical intervention, namely – transplantations of a cardiopulmonary complex or lungs.

Pulmonary hypertensia at children

Situations when blood vessels of the newborn are narrowed for any of several reasons, are very dangerous as leads restrictions of a blood flow through tissues of lungs to reduction of amount of oxygen in an organism and poses a serious threat for life. It means that pulmonary hypertensia which symptoms are most often shown at postmature children demands urgent treatment under observation of experienced specialists. It is also possible to refer to the risk factors provoking developing of a disease at children uncontrollable reception by mother of the child of high doses of antibiotics, aspirin and indometacin. Primary pulmonary hypertensia often is found in children of the first year of life together with others of a disease of respiratory system, for example, of pneumonia or a syndrome of aspiration of meconium.