DEAR DR. GOTT: Recently you had a column regarding a gentleman who described breathlessness, exercise intolerance and faintness. I had these exact symptoms before I was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In simple terms this means high blood pressure of the lungs. The vessels in the lungs thicken and constrict to the point that the right side of the heart becomes unable to pump blood into them. Untreated, the right side of the heart “fails” leading to congestive heart failure, such as I had.

PAH is rare and is, unfortunately, often misdiagnosed as asthma, just being overweight, etc., leaving some patients to struggle for years without treatment and many die before they get the proper medication. Doctors who do diagnose it correctly often tell the patients to “go home and get your affairs in order”.
[Read more...]