COULD YOU HAVE PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION? An educational checklist for patients 1) Have you ever been told you have pulmonary hypertension? Yes____
No____
The following are symptoms associated with, but not specific to pulmonary arterial hypertension: shortness of breath with exertion, unexplained tiredness (fatigue), chest discomfort, lightheadedness, palpitations, fainting (syncope), leg/ankle swelling (edema). 2) Do you have the following condition that may be a risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension? ___ Scleroderma ___ Systemic lupus erythematosus ___ Other connective tissue or autoimmune disease ___ Congenital heart condition ___ Liver disease or chronic hepatitis ___ HIV infection ___ Family history of pulmonary arterial hypertension (previously termed PPH) If you have ever used Fen-Phen, Redux, Pondimin, or Methamphetamines, you are also at risk for developing pulmonary arterial hypertension. 3) Other health conditions or chronic illnesses can be associated with other forms of pulmonary hypertension, and may mimic signs and symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Have you ever had any of the following? ___ Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) ___ Heart valve repair or replacement ___ Congestive heart failure (CHF) ___ COPD or asthma ___ Pulmonary fibrosis ___ Obstructive sleep apnea ___ Pulmonary embolism (PE) ___ Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) ___ Sarcoidosis
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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a form of pulmonary hypertension (elevated pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs) that can lead to right-sided heart failure. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a chronic and progressive, yet treatable disease. If you answered "yes" to any of the questions in section one or two on the front of this page, you may have a risk factor or suffer from an associated condition related to pulmonary hypertension. This does not necessarily mean that you have the disease, but you may want to discuss the possibility of pulmonary arterial hypertension with your healthcare provider. You and your healthcare provider may decide to look further into the possibility of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Initial steps could include an echocardiogram (to look at your heart), or a referral to see a pulmonologist (lung specialist) or a cardiologist (heart specialist). The more common conditions listed under question number three on the front of this page are occasionally confused with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Sometimes this leads to a misdiagnosis (of PAH) and even inappropriate treatment with medications specifically designed and approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Accordingly, you and your healthcare provider should be aware of the importance and challenges of properly diagnosing or excluding pulmonary arterial hypertension.
www.PHAssociation.org