I'm still not sure. If the valve is structurally normal can you still have pulmonary hypertension?
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Lisa Curtis, CPC, CPMA, CEMC, COBGC
Yes, Lisa, it can still by many means; it is called Secondary pulmonary Hypertension and actually these types are more commoner than Primary.
Read this passage please you would understand better. If not clear please be back with which area is your doubt. I am in a hurry to prepare for my exam (within 2-3wks time). Otherwise I would explain in a better way.
Thank you
What is Pulmonary Hypertnsion?
The right ventricle pumps blood returning from the body into the pulmonary arteries to the lungs to receive oxygen. The pressures in the lung arteries (pulmonary arteries) are normally significantly lower than the pressures in the systemic circulation. When pressure in the pulmonary circulation becomes abnormally elevated, it is referred to as pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary artery hypertension, or PAH.
Pulmonary hypertension generally results from constriction, or stiffening, of the pulmonary arteries that supply blood to the lungs. Consequently, it becomes more difficult for the heart to pump blood forward through the lungs. This stress on the heart leads to enlargement of the right heart and eventually fluid can build up in the liver and other tissues, such as the in the legs.
Symptoms of pulmonary hypertension is shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, dizziness lethargy , sometime C/o chest pain angina and in advanced stage heart Failure.
Hypoxia is one of the main signs
Classifications:It is generally classified as 1) primary pulmonary hypertension (not caused by any other disease or condition); and
2) secondary pulmonary hypertension (caused by another underlying condition). Secondary pulmonary hypertension is much more common than primary pulmonary hypertension.
A newer classification of this condition is based on the main underlying cause of pulmonary hypertension. This system classifies the condition based on whether it is due to:
left sided heart disease,
lung disease,
blood clots,
constriction of arteries due to any reasons (including primary pulmonary hypertension), and
obstruction from outside of blood vessel (for example from diseases of the chest wall compressing the blood vessels).
So as such, it can be due to too much pressure, too much blood pumped into, or blockage any where that ultimately brings blood to the pulmonary circulation can be a cause for Pulmonary Hypertension.
So the valve can be normal without regurgitation, yet it can occur, say, for eg, Pulmonary Embolism can cause too.
Pulmonary hypertension can be caused by diseases of the heart and the lungs, such as:
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
emphysema,
failure of the left heart ventricle,
• recurrent pulmonary embolism (blood clots traveling from the legs or pelvic veins obstructing the pulmonary arteries or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension), or
underlying diseases such as scleroderma.
Other conditions that may cause pulmonary hypertension include:
dermatomyositis,
systemic lupus erythematosus,
sarcoidosis,
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and
advanced liver disease (porto-pulmonary hypertension).
Pulmonary hypertension can also be caused by chronic low blood oxygen levels as in some patients with sleep apnea or other long-standing (chronic) lung disease.
Again, pulmonary hypertension caused by these other illnesses can also be referred to as secondary pulmonary hypertension.
Primary pulmonary hypertension is an unusually aggressive and often fatal form of pulmonary hypertension that commonly affects young people
A genetic cause of the familial form of primary pulmonary hypertension has been discovered
no clear statistical data on the prevalence of this condition - This may be due to the fact that many other diseases may cause or contribute to pulmonary hypertension. Often, these other conditions may be more readily diagnosed and treated without detecting pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, the data on prevalence of pulmonary hypertension may be obscured.
Many tests, such as echocardiogram, may be performed that be give us clues to the possibility of pulmonary hypertension. But the gold standard (the best test available) is right heart catheterization.
Pulmonary hypertension is defined as the mean pulmonary artery blood pressure greater than 25 millimeter of mercury (mmHg) measured by right heart catheterization.