Pulmonary arterial hypertension

Shortness of breath, palpitations, exhaustion, tiredness. Such symptoms might make you think of a weak heart or asthma. But there are also cases in which pathological changes in the pulmonary vessels can be the trigger. Pulmonary hypertension is a disease in which the blood vessels in the lungs become more and more narrow. As a result, less blood reaches the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, hampering oxygen uptake.

The feeling for those affected is like being at an altitude of several thousand meters. It is as though the air were getting thinner. All the time. As a result, the heart is permanently fighting an uphill battle against the resistance caused by constricted blood vessels – until it finally fails. Some people have a heightened risk of pulmonary hypertension, for example if they have certain autoimmune diseases, a heart defect or an HIV infection.

Because pulmonary hypertension begins insidiously and initially without symptoms, it is often not diagnosed until an advanced stage. Furthermore, even after the first symptoms are noticed it takes a lot of time before the correct diagnosis is made – two and a half years on average, as the German Ärztezeitung (doctors' newspaper) estimated in the summer of 2007. As a rule, several physicians have to be consulted before pulmonary-arterial hypertension is diagnosed. An echocardiogram of the right side of the heart, which indirectly measures the pressure in the lungs, can provide important clues. The findings can then be confirmed by a catheter examination of the right heart.

Up until a few years ago, a lung transplant was the only hope for patients with pulmonary hypertension. But it can be treated with drugs in the meantime. One of them is made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. It is inhaled as a fine mist directly into the lungs. Once there, the active substance expands the blood vessels in the lungs, thus improving the circulation of blood and oxygen uptake. This increases the patients' functional capacity and quality of life and extends their survival time.

The drug's active substance is often used as part of a combination therapy. In the meantime it has been shown that participating in sports activities improves the physical resilience of patients with pulmonary hypertension. If the disease is detected at an early stage, the quality of life can be stabilized at a higher level.

Advice for patients
Every body reacts differently to medicines. Therefore it is impossible to tell which medicine works best for you. Please consult your physician.