Risk Factors For Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a serious condition. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, and even fainting. It is quite different than what most individuals may think of when they hear about high blood pressure. High blood pressure typically affects the whole body. This is not the case with pulmonary hypertension. Instead, these patients deal with high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the heart and lungs with blood. The arteries in the lungs narrow or may even become blocked. This forces the heart to work much harder to pump blood through these arteries. As a result, the heart will weaken while the blood pressure in the lungs increases. This may eventually trigger heart failure.