This is a very important question. Patients with PAH are often very frustrated by feeling poorly, often for one to two years prior to formal diagnosis with PAH. Once the secure diagnosis is made and treatment is started there is a sense of urgency for both patients and doctors to see tangible evidence of improvement. Improvement is measured in many different ways. You may … [Read more...]
Oxygen Saturation and Breathlessness in PAH
I can’t breathe! I feel short of breath all of the time. We hear these statements every day at PAH specialty centers. We take vital signs of blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate and oxygen saturation and patients are always surprised if their oxygen saturations are within normal limits. Read below to learn more. What is oxygen saturation? Oxygen saturation measures … [Read more...]
Increased Interest in PAH: What it Means for Patients
As more and more treatments become available for PAH and more patients are diagnosed and living with this chronic and progressive disease, there seems to be more and more news of biopharmaceutical companies jumping on board to develop and eventually sell treatments for PH. It seems nearly every day there is a headline stating companies have merged or been purchased or even … [Read more...]
What if I’m Not Getting Better?
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive disease affecting the blood vessels of the lungs (pulmonary arteries to be specific). Without treatment, the right ventricle of the heart starts to struggle with pumping blood through the lungs. This leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling, fainting and other symptoms. We are fortunate to have many medications that now … [Read more...]
Allergy and Cold Medications in PAH
Springtime is beautiful. The cold of winter leaves and the flowers begin to bloom. And pollen counts soar! Many people are sensitive to the rising pollen counts and experience seasonal allergies. Common symptoms include itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, cough or scratchy throat. Though not life-threatening these symptoms can make us miserable. Pulmonary Hypertension patients … [Read more...]
