Many people have heard the term 'hypertension' and know that it is synonymous with high blood pressure. But what is primary pulmonary hypertension? As the name suggests, this disease has something to do with the pulmonary artery that is responsible for carrying oxygen-depleted blood into the heart where it can be pumped into the lungs.
For unknown reasons, the pressure in the pulmonary artery can become quite high, altering the smaller blood vessels within the lungs. When this happens, the heart has to work much harder to pump the blood into the lungs, which results in a strain on this portion of the heart.
Because the heart is affected by primary pulmonary hypertension, this disease can become quite serious, especially if it is not caught and diagnosed in its early stages. For this reason, it is important to understand what it is, and how to recognize the symptoms of this disease.
The symptoms can include shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting and extreme fatigue. Because these symptoms are somewhat nondescript, there are many other possibilities that are generally rule out before a diagnosis is given.
This leads many patients to suffer with the disease without an accurate diagnosis for some time, until the later symptoms of the disease begin to appear. These symptoms might include swelling of the legs and ankles, a bluish tint around the lips and mouth and chest pain. A diagnosis for primary pulmonary hypertension can be fairly easily made through a test called a heart catheterization.
During this diagnostic test, a small tube is inserted through a vein in the arm or leg and then threaded up into the heart and pulmonary artery. A tiny camera is attached to the end of the tube so the doctor can see the heart and arteries to determine if anything is out of the ordinary.
A diagnosis of primary pulmonary hypertension may lead to medications like anticoagulants to prevent blood clots from forming and diuretics that reduce the amount of fluid in the body. Oxygen may be given if breathing has become more difficult, and in some of the more severe cases a lung or heart/lung transplant may be necessary.
There is no cure for primary pulmonary hypertension; a patient's best bet is to successfully treat the symptoms and possibly slow the progression of the disease. The first step is early diagnosis, which can occur when a doctor and patient understand what it is, and make an early, accurate diagnosis.
While there may be one or more causes of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, recent studies have found certain anti-depressant medications and weight loss suppressants are the known culprits. Most people who are diagnosed with this disease are sensitive to certain internal or external factors which constrict the blood vessels when exposed to these factors.
Case in point: Raynaud's disease is a condition in which the fingers and toes turn blue when cold because the blood vessels in the fingers and toes are particularly sensitive to cold. Individuals with Raynaud's disease are more likely to develop Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.
Moreover, diet suppressants such as Fen-Phen, has been the leading agent which has ultimately caused PPH and for which PPH lawsuits are on-going. Other factors contributing to Primary Pulmonary Hypertension include pregnant women who take anti-depressants, specifically Paxil or any of the other more common prescribed anti-depressant medications. Further, this has caused increased litigation among those women whose babies have been born with serious defects or, in some cases, died.
It is important to point out how PPH begins. It starts with injury to the layer of cells that line the small blood vessels of the lungs. As a result, the smooth muscle contracts more than normal and thereby narrows the vessel. The process eventually results in the development of extra amounts of tissue in the walls of the pulmonary arteries.
The amount of muscle increases in some arteries, and muscle appears in the walls of arteries that normally have no muscle. With time, scarring, or fibrosis, of the arteries takes place, and they become stiff as well as thickened. Some vessels may become completely blocked. There is also a tendency for blood clots to form within the smaller arteries.
Due to the demands placed on it by PPH, the heart muscle gets bigger, and the right ventricle expands in size. Becoming overworked and enlarged, the right ventricle gradually becomes weak and loses its ability to pump enough blood to the lungs. Eventually, the right side of the heart may fail completely, resulting in death.
This brings us to the treatment of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and the drug Fen-Phen. Studies have revealed that treatment with this weight loss supplement increased the risk of PPH by 28 times. Therefore, individuals with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension developed this disease as a direct result of the drug Fen-Phen. Law firms who specialize in pharmaceutical litigation have been deeply involved in PPH lawsuits, and those who have been diagnosed with this disease by a PPH specialist, have sought a PPH attorney to handle such litigation.
Fen-Phen is a combination drug that was introduced for weight loss treatment in the 1990's. It was recalled from the market by the FDA in 1997 because of data showing that this drug caused heart valve damage and PPH. Studies showed that patients who took these appetite suppressants, particularly those whose treatment lasted for more than three months, were much more likely to develop Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.
As mentioned earlier, the anti-depressant Paxil is just one of the known causes of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in babies. This, too, has resulted in women retaining the services of a PPH attorney for the express purpose of filing PPH lawsuits on the newborn mom's behalf.
Pregnant women and those who plan to become pregnant should avoid taking the anti-depressant Paxil if possible because of the risk of birth defects. Two studies of pregnant women who were taking Paxil during their first trimester have shown that their babies have heart defects at a rate that is as much as twice the norm.
However, a conundrum exists. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the decision whether to treat pregnant women with SSRIs, a class of anti-depressants that includes Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro as well as Paxil, should be considered on an individual basis.
However, it is clear that exposure to SSRIs late in pregnancy has been associated with short-term complications in newborns. A caveat, however, was also mentioned in that reproductive-age women have the highest prevalence of major depressive disorders. The benefit to the mother of treatment with any of the drugs may outweigh the risk to the fetus. It is worth reiterating that Paxil, taken when pregnant, does pose a risk to the unborn.
In addition, if you or anyone you know has ever taken Fen-Phen, and are experiencing symptoms, it is vital that you seek a PPH attorney so that he or she can litigate this matter via a PPH lawsuit on your behalf. Moreover, it is important that you consult a PPH specialist immediately. PPH treatments, while they may be unable to stop the progression of the disease, can help to improve your quality of life.