5 Different Types of Pulmonary Hypertension

When people talk about pulmonary hypertension (PH), they’re talking about a condition where high blood pressure in the lungs leads to the narrowing of the blood vessels to the heart, causing the right side of the heart to work much harder to pump oxygenated blood back into the lungs. This can then lead to right heart failure.

Understand the basic pathology of pulmonary hypertension here.

There are actually five classifications of pulmonary hypertension which depend on how the disease developed and its severity. According to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, these are:

Group 1 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the only classification of the disease that isn’t referred to simply as pulmonary hypertension.

It can be classed as idiopathic (without any known cause), heritable (runs in families), or can develop from abuse of narcotics or toxins or as the result of another disease such as scleroderma, lupus, or HIV.

Group 2 Pulmonary Hypertension

Patients who have developed pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disorders such as left ventricular diastolic dysfunction or valvular disease are said to have group 2 PH.

Group 3 Pulmonary Hypertension

This group refers to patients who have developed pulmonary hypertension as a secondary disease to hypoxia or another lung disorder such as COPD, interstitial lung disease, and exposure to very high altitudes.

Find out how pulmonary hypertension is diagnosed.

Group 4 Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension or CTEPH can develop when blood clots form in the lungs.

Group 5 Pulmonary Hypertension due to other disorders

People may also develop pulmonary hypertension due to a variety of other diseases and conditions, which include blood disorders, metabolic disorders, thyroid disease or kidney disease.

Who is more at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension?

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