Pulmonary Hypertension: a silent and rare condition, how to diagnose it in time?
The initial phase of the disease is usually asymptomatic and the first signs (dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain) coincide with other lung and heart diseases.
The result of this non-specific symptom pattern results in a diagnostic delay for the patient. Pulmonary Hypertension Spain.
La Pulmonary Hypertension (PAH) It is a rare, progressive disease that affects more women than men. It is also recognized as the disease of blue lips, since it is one of the signs that these people can present, as well as being observed in the color of their skin due to lack of oxygen. This is called cyanosis.
The pressure in the pulmonary artery increases, as well as in the blood vessels, and also affects one of the four chambers of the heart, the right ventricle, which pumps blood to the lungs.
What are the symptoms of Pulmonary Hypertension?
It often happens that these people have a feeling of shortness of breath, chest pain, and get tired very quickly, some even when making small efforts. All this depends on the degree of affectation that the person has. It also fatigues even palpitations. His inactivity due to feeling these symptoms causes the patient to become deconditioned.
One of the serious problems with this condition, as with other rare or frequent respiratory diseases, is late diagnosis, and this is because the symptoms presented by people with Pulmonary Hypertension coincide with other pathologies. In addition, patients usually arrive at the medical consultation with an advanced condition, which implies severe limitations.
The clinical guidelines of the European Cardiology and Respiratory Societies (ERS/ESC) recommend that people with Pulmonary Hypertension remain active.
According to the article published by Eroski Consumer, physical training programs, as a complement to pharmacological treatment measures, have been shown to be beneficial in patients with PAH, increasing exercise capacity and improving quality of life. Respiratory physiotherapy and therapeutic exercise can be of great help, but this treatment is not provided in all hospitals and it is very difficult to find specialized professionals outside of hospitals.
How can respiratory physiotherapy help?
There are pulmonary rehabilitation programs that are supervised and are presented as a treatment that accompanies drug treatment. These programs are carried out at the hospital level but unfortunately there are few Hospitals that have this option. Within these programs, which usually last about 24 sessions, several professionals participate in teams called multidisciplinary, that is, where different specialists intervene, such as the pulmonologist, cardiologist, occupational therapist...
The respiratory physiotherapist is one of the key figures in this program, since he will help adapt the program so that the patient can carry out the sessions within safety parameters, controlling oxygen and heart rate. The planning of activities is adapted to each person individually, depending on how the patient is after a previous assessment.
The program will consist of Aerobic exercise, exercises of muscular strength, stretching, while monitoring the patient and observing their intensity levels in them.
The objectives of these programs and their benefits are as follows:
- Increase the levels of physical activity in the patient
- Increase exercise capacity
- Improve Life Quality
Related Posts:
Interesting information:
- Video dissertation: "Pulmonary hypertension, from diagnosis to treatment, where are we in 2020?" by Dr. Guillermo Bortman, Pulmonologist, Master in Pulmonary Circulation and Medical Director Club Atlético Boca Juniors (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Video dissertation: "Pulmonary hypertension: Access to online treatment and support" by Dhina Grajales, leader of AchpaCo Colombia Support and Management and member of the Board of Directors of the Pulmonary Hypertension Society (Colombia)
For more information on respiratory infections and lung health, contact the Lovexair Foundation healthcare professionals at no cost or obligation by email: cuentanos@lovexair.com
Read Related Article:
