Pulmonary hypertension is a chronic condition that leads to complications in the arteries of the lungs and right side of the heart, causing high blood pressure. In this disease, the tiny arteries in the lungs become narrow, destroyed, or blocked. The blood doesn’t flow through the lungs properly, increasing pressure in the arteries. When the pressure increases, the heart works harder to pump blood to the lungs, weakening the heart muscles, leading to heart failure.
There are other forms of this condition that are quite serious and can worsen with time, becoming fatal in severe cases. Some other forms of the condition do not have a cure as yet, but given the right treatment, the patient’s symptoms can be managed and their quality of life can be improved.
Causes or risk factors of pulmonary hypertension include the following:
1. Age
It has been observed that the average age of the individuals who have been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension is around thirty-six years. However, the condition tends to develop in a person between the ages of twenty and sixty. However, the disease can occur at any stage of one’s life.
2. Weight
The risk of developing pulmonary hypertension increases in a person if they are overweight or obese. The reason behind this is that the extra weight raises the pressure of the blood in the lungs. When an overweight individual already suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, they may develop a mild form of pulmonary hypertension. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the levels of oxygen begin to drop when a person is asleep.
3. Gender
Women are more prone to develop pulmonary hypertension as compared to men. Pregnancy, in particular, happens to be one of the main risk factors that can increase the risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. Women who are already suffering from pulmonary hypertension and get pregnant may have a riskier pregnancy and increased chances of fatality.
4. High altitude
This is one of the common causes or risk factors for pulmonary hypertension. It has been proved that a person living at higher altitudes for many years faces a greater risk of developing the condition since the environment has less oxygen. Also, when a person is traveling to places of higher altitudes the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension can get aggravated by the same.
5. Hard drugs
The use of cocaine has been associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension because of particular diet pills. Around twenty percent of the deaths that have occurred due to cocaine have shown the damage to the lungs caused by pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary hypertension can also occur in a person who suffers from diseases like liver disease, heart diseases, disorders of connective tissues such as lupus and scleroderma, and lung diseases.