Sunday, September 19, 2010

What is primary pulmonary hypertension ? -

related to the heart and lungs

lol long story short for the copy and pasters, it is higher than normal blood pressure in the pulmonary artery

primary means the cause or reason for it is unknown. nd pulmonary hypertension is havin high blood pressure in the arteries supplyin blood to ur lungs. the normal blood pressure is 14mmHg i think

Primary, or unexplained, pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a rare lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises far above normal levels for no apparent reason. The pulmonary artery is the blood vessel carrying oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle, one of the pumping chambers of the heart, to the lungs. In the lungs, the blood picks up oxygen and then flows to the left side of the heart, where it is pumped by the left ventricle to the rest of the body through the aorta. Hypertension is the medical term for an abnormally high blood pressure. Normal mean pulmonary-artery pressure is approximately 14 mmHg at rest. In the PPH patient, the mean blood pressure in the pulmonary artery is greater than 25 mmHg at rest and 30 mmHg during exercise. This abnormally high pressure (pulmonary hypertension) is associated with changes in the small blood vessels in the lungs, resulting in an increased resistance to blood flowing through the vessels. This increased resistance, in turn, places a strain on the right ventricle, which now has to work harder than usual against the resistance to move adequate amounts of blood through the lungs. Incidence The true incidence of primary pulmonary hypertension is unknown. The first reported case occurred in 1891, when E. Romberg, a German doctor, published a description of a patient who, at autopsy, showed thickening of the pulmonary artery but no heart or lung disease that might have caused the condition. In 1951, when 39 cases were reported by Dr. D.T. Dresdale in the United States, the illness received its name.

Background: Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a rare disease characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure with no apparent cause. PPH is also termed precapillary pulmonary hypertension or, more recently, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). The diagnosis is usually made after excluding other known causes of pulmonary hypertension. Dresdale and colleagues first reported a hemodynamic account of IPAH in 1951. Pathophysiology: The pathophysiology of IPAH is poorly understood. An insult (eg, hormonal, mechanical, other) to the endothelium may occur, possibly in the setting of increased susceptibility to pulmonary vascular injury (ie, multiple hit theory), resulting in a cascade of events characterized by vascular scarring, endothelial dysfunction, and intimal and medial (smooth muscle) proliferation. At least 15-20% of patients with IPAH have a familial form, which has only recently been characterized. Some cases may be related to sporadic genetic defects. The most common genetic defect in these cases is related to the BMPR-II gene. Early in the disease, as the pulmonary artery pressure increases because of increasing right ventricle work, thrombotic pulmonary arteriopathy occurs. Thrombotic pulmonary arteriopathy is characterized by in situ thrombosis of small muscular arteries of the pulmonary vasculature. In later stages, as the pulmonary pressure continues to rise, plexogenic pulmonary arteriopathy develops. This is characterized by a remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature with intimal fibrosis and replacement of normal endothelial structure.

i think you re referring to something that leads to pulmonary edema. it may be caused by CHF (congestive heart failure), which is when the left atrium, the chamber of the heart that receives blood from the lungs, is backed up for some reason or other, perhaps due to valvular stenosis or left-sided heart failure. pulmonary blood pressure increases and pushes fluid back into the lungs, often causing wheezing, dyspnea (trouble breathing), and sputum. hope my studies in pathophysiology came in useful.

No comments:

Post a Comment

>>>

related tag

 

Home Posts RSS Comments RSS