Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)
Pulmonary hypertension, or PH, is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. These arteries carry blood from your heart to your lungs to pick up oxygen.
SymptomsTestsTreatmentsPart of: High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)
Pulmonary hypertension (PULL-mun-ary HI-per-TEN-shun), or PH, is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. These arteries carry blood from your heart to your lungs to pick up oxygen.
PH causes symptoms such as shortness of breath during routine activity (for example, climbing two flights of stairs), tiredness, chest pain, and a racing heartbeat. As the condition worsens, its symptoms may limit all physical activity.
Overview
To understand PH, it helps to understand how your heart and lungs work. Your heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall called the septum.
Each side of your heart has an upper and lower chamber. The lower right chamber of your heart, the right ventricle (VEN-trih-kul), pumps blood to your pulmonary arteries. The blood then travels to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen.
The upper left chamber of your heart, the left atrium (AY-tree-um), receives the oxygen-rich… Read more about Pulmonary Hypertension