MURRAY, Utah (ABC4 Utah) – Pulmonary Hypertension, or PH, is a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart. PH is a progressive rare disease is defined by high blood pressure in the lungs and can cause right-heart failure and even death.

PH is a contributing factor to more than 18,000 adult deaths each year in the United States. It can occur among those with left-heart disease; associated conditions such as sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or scleroderma; or from congenital heart disease.

It affects people of any age, sex, race, social or ethnic background, according to Meghan Cirulis, MD, an interventional pulmonologist and critical care physician at Intermountain Health.

The disease is significantly underdiagnosed and misunderstood, even among health care providers. Symptoms, including shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain, aren’t specific to PH and can lead to dangerous delays in diagnosis.

In some people, pulmonary hypertension slowly gets worse and can be life-threatening. There’s no cure for pulmonary hypertension. But treatments are available to help you feel better, live longer and improve your quality of life. While PH is incurable, early diagnosis and proper treatment can extend and improve quality of life.

The symptoms of pulmonary hypertension develop slowly. You may not notice them for months or even years. Symptoms get worse as the disease progresses.

Pulmonary hypertension symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath, at first while exercising and eventually while at rest.

• Blue or gray skin color due to low oxygen levels. Depending on your skin color, these changes may be harder or easier to see.

• Chest pressure or pain.

• Dizziness or fainting spells.

• Fast pulse or pounding heartbeat.

• Fatigue.

• Swelling in the ankles, legs and belly area.

One of the challenges with pulmonary hypertension is that symptoms aren’t specific to PH and can lead to dangerous delays in diagnosis.

Intermountain Health has an accredited program and highly skilled PH team at the Schmidt Chest Clinic at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.

The Intermountain Health Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center is a Pulmonary Hypertension Association accredited program that cares for patients with all types of pulmonary vascular disease, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

The Intermountain PHCC and Cardiovascular Surgery program offer pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgery for eligible patients with CTEPH.

Visit IntermountainHealth.org for more information.

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