The Challenges of Diagnosing and Treating Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)

Gustavo A. Heresi, MD, MS, Director of the Pulmonary Vascular and Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Program in the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the Respiratory Institute at Cleveland Clinic discusses the challenges of diagnosing and treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

PAH is a rare, progressive disorder characterized by high blood pressure (hypertension) in the arteries of the lungs (pulmonary artery) for no apparent reason. The pulmonary arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from the right side of the heart through the lungs. Symptoms of PAH include shortness of breath (dyspnea) especially during exercise, chest pain, and fainting episodes. The exact cause of PAH is unknown and although treatable, there is no known cure for the disease. PAH usually affects women between the ages of 30-60. The progressive nature of this disease means that an individual may experience only mild symptoms at first, but will eventually require treatment and medical care to maintain a reasonable quality of life.

Advances in the diagnosis and management of PAH have resulted in significant improvements in outcomes for patients with this devastating and progressive disease. However, because of the non-specific nature of its symptoms, and the low level of suspicion among clinicians, prompt and accurate diagnosis of PAH as a rare disease remains a challenge. This article explains some of the issues that need to be addressed when faced with a patient with suspected PAH and describes how noninvasive and invasive techniques can be used effectively to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

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@Gustavo A Heresi Thanks for the explanation, is there any right procedure to decrease the PAH pressure?