How Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension can be Diagnosed
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) refers to a type of high blood pressure in the arteries which gradually travels from your heart to lungs.
Patients with the symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension the arteries become narrow or blocked. Due to the narrowness of the arteries, flowing of blood becomes difficult through them. This raises high blood pressure in the lungs.
If timely treatment is not administered, pulmonary arterial hypertension can be life-threatening. Due to the narrow passage, the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the arteries. As a result, the heart muscle gets weak and this condition can lead to heart failure.
1. Diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension
It is suggested to see a doctor if you regularly experience shortness of breath. To start the diagnosis process, the doctor will initially like to know about your medical history. You may have to respond to the questions below to make the doctor understand your state of health.
To confirm the symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a doctor may like to prescribe the below mentioned diagnostic procedures.
2. Echocardiogram
With the help of an echocardiogram, doctors will be able to review the size, functioning of ventricles and the thickness of the ventricle walls. Further, an echocardiogram will allow doctors to understand the working condition of the heart chambers and valves. For certain patients, a doctor can recommend an exercise echocardiogram to determine the performance of lung and heart under stress. In some cases, this is also done as an oxygen consumption test, in which you will need to wear a mask to assess the capability of heart and lung while dealing with oxygen and carbon dioxide.
3. ECG or Electrocardiogram (ECG)
This is a noninvasive test procedure. With the help of ECG, the doctor gets an understanding of your heart’s electrical patterns. This helps to detect any abnormal rhythms. With ECG, the doctor can also get to understand any probable signs of right ventricle strain or enlargement.
4. Chest X-ray
It is an imaging technology which provides images of your chest, lung and heart. This diagnostic procedure is an ideal way to understand the enlargement of the right ventricle heart and the pulmonary arteries. Further, a chest X-ray also helps to understand and identify any other probable condition which is causing the pulmonary arterial hypertension.
5. Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan
A CT scan generates X-rays to produce cross-sectional images of your body. Thus, a CT scan procedure helps the doctor to understand the heart’s size as well as function towards confirmation of blood clots in the arteries.
6. Pulmonary function test
This is also a non-invasive procedure. This helps to measure various normal functioning of the heart, such as how much air your lungs can hold and air inhaling and exhaling condition. A pulmonary function test is done with the help of an instrument called a spirometer.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to prevent any symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. It’s never too late to make a healthy choice. make sure you cut down the intake of salt, follow a healthy lifestyle and diet.