Every year an estimated 300 new Primary Pulmonary Hypertension cases are diagnosed. Statistics say that out of every 100,000 people, 8 people become vulnerable to this malady. Women between ages 20 and 40 years are the most prone to it--women seem twice as much at risk as men. Essentially, Pulmonary Hypertension is a rare disorder of the blood vessels wherein the pressure in the pulmonary artery (leading from heart to lungs) rises above normal levels. When this Pulmonary Hypertension arises without any known cause explaining its occurrence, it is named as Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. Some common symptoms of this disease are chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue even with minimum exertion. A number of unknown causes or diseases may lead to this serious malfunctioning. Though the name of the disease is given by a single term, Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, it encompasses a number of causative factors, all of which are unknown. It is strange but true that, although the complications associated with the disease are understood, the exact cause of the disease is yet to be discovered. Studies carried out in this regard have, however, indicated that certain appetite suppressants (like Pondimin and Redux, known as Fen Phen) can increase a person's chances of developing this fatal condition. It has been theorized that this can be inherited as a mutation of the BMPR2 gene. Cirrhosis of the liver, stimulant abuse and HIV infection are also considered close associates (though not conclusively considered causatives) of this condition. Historical records of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension present a gloomy picture, whereby the disease proves to be chronic and incurable, and the survival rate is very poor. On average, life expectancy of patients after confirmation of the disease was, till recently, 30 months. Complications relating to the disease claim the lives of 125 to 150 people in the U.S. every year. New treatments, however, offer hope. Today, a variety of treatments have come to be available for prevention or treatment of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and its complications. |
