Pulmonary Hypertension Association Explains the Disease

In this video from GSK, the chairman of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association in the U.K., Iain Armstrong, talks about what pulmonary hypertension (PH) is and how it affects those living with the disease.

MORE: Can pulmonary hypertension be prevented?

Armstrong explains that the disease affects women more than men (around three times more women have the disease than men) and that it can strike at any age from infancy to old age. The disease affects the small blood vessels in the lungs and causes them to narrow, which in turn, increases the blood pressure in the lungs and makes the heart have to work harder to pump oxygenated blood back into the lungs.

He goes on to describe some of the common symptoms of the disease such as breathlessness, dizziness, tiredness, lethargy, and chest pain.  He also shares that it’s a progressive disease where the symptoms become so extreme that people are unable to perform simple daily activities without becoming out of breath.

MORE: Understanding the struggle pulmonary hypertension patients face.

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