Pulmonary hypertension facts for kids

Pulmonary hypertension or PH is a disease where there is high blood pressure in the lungs. The disease makes it hard to breathe. Some people with the disease need extra oxygen. This disease can also make a person dizzy and become easily tired. Some people with the disease faint easily. The symptoms get worse when exercising or working hard. Pulmonary hypertension is a serious disease, and it can be fatal. The disease makes it harder for the heart to pump blood. Because the heart has to work harder, it can also become sick. Some people who are very sick may need a lung transplant or a heart-lung transplant to live.

Images for kids

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  Right ventricle (on left side)

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  Micrograph showing arteries in pulmonary hypertensive with marked thickening of the walls.

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  Three major signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension

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  Phonocardiogram and jugular venous pulse tracing from a middle-aged man with pulmonary hypertension caused by cardiomyopathy. The jugular venous pulse tracing demonstrates a prominent a wave without a c or v wave being observed. The phonocardiograms (fourth left interspace and cardiac apex) show a murmur of tricuspid insufficiency and ventricular and atrial gallops.

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  Severe tricuspid regurgitation

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  Pulmonary artery hypertension and emphysema as seen on a CT scan with contrast

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  4-month-old with pulmonary hypertension as seen on ultrasound

See also

In Spanish: Hipertensión pulmonar para niños