GET TO KNOW PAH
Living with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Navigating life with pulmonary hypertension (PAH) starts with understanding how it can affect various aspects of your health.
PAH occurs due to the narrowing of arteries in your lungs, restricting the flow of blood through the lungs and raising the blood pressure in the lungs. As a result, people with PAH can experience symptoms like tiredness, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and an irregular heartbeat. Since PAH is a rare condition, you may need certain tests to help rule out other diseases before you get your official PAH diagnosis. In addition, having PAH can make people feel like their lives have been turned upside down.
To help you cope with various ways in which PAH affects you, consider whether to include additional health care professionals, such as a counselor or therapist, to your care team. Remember, support to help manage your PAH is available.
PAH by the numbers
30-60
The age range that PAH
is most commonly diagnosed.
>2
The average number of years it takes to be diagnosed with PAH after symptoms start.
500-1K
The approximate number of people who are diagnosed with PAH every year.
Confirming a diagnosis of PAH
Having a confirmed PAH diagnosis is important. However, getting an official diagnosis can sometimes take over two years because some symptoms are similar to other common lung diseases, like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The sooner the diagnosis is confirmed, the sooner you and your care team can put together a comprehensive, interdisciplinary plan to help manage it.
To diagnose PAH, doctors may use a combination of tests and procedures. These may include:
– Blood tests
– Lung function tests
– Echocardiograms (scans that create pictures of your heart)
– Right-heart catheterization (a test that measures the pressure inside your pulmonary arteries)
The right-heart catheterization is the only test that can confirm a PAH diagnosis and tell doctors how severe your PAH is.
Your care team will run routine tests to assess your PAH over time. These tests may involve heart imaging and exercise capacity assessments, such as the 6-minute walk distance test.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
PAH is characterized by a range of symptoms, which can develop gradually and range in severity among people with the disease. Below are just some of the symptoms to watch out for.
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Dizziness
Lightheadedness, fainting
Swollen abdomen
Swollen ankles
Irregular heartbeat
With you at every step
As PAH progresses, your care team will likely require regular check-ins and testing. Use the resource linked below when discussing PAH with your healthcare provider.
EVERY SUPPORT TEAM SHOULD INCLUDE A PAH SPECIALIST
PAH, a type of pulmonary hypertension (PH), is an uncommon but serious disease. There are doctors who focus on the diagnosis and management of PAH.