What are Pulmonary Hypertension and PH Test?

Pulmonary Hypertension is a medical condition of grave concern and is pretty different from routine hypertension. If you have PH, you need to consult a medical practitioner to know which type of PH you have. While some need treatment, others don’t need direct treatment.

Symptoms of PH - The most important symptom is breathlessness. And this is the symptom that people first notice. Some of the other symptoms include swelling in ankles and feet, chest pain, dizziness, and a feeling of faintness.

Physical Examination - Your doctor will first undertake a thorough examination of your body. They will also be interested in your medical history. Your doctor might ask you questions linked to what your symptoms are. For how long have you been facing them; what are the occasions when they appear? Etc. After getting answers to these questions, your doctor might ask you what other symptoms you have. So, if you have any other symptoms, you will have to tell your doctor at this phase. You should also tell him if any of your family members ever suffered from any heart or lung disease. Your doctor will conclude after running blood tests and other tests on you.

Bloodwork - When you get your bloodwork done, you get to know if your body receives sufficient oxygen. Your doctor will find out the following with the help of a blood test-

• The functionality of your liver

• The functionality of your kidneys

• How well your thyroids work

• If you have any autoimmune disorder

• If you have infections.

The condition of your heart - The next step is to find out what is going on inside the heart. The tests run on your heart include MRI, chest CT scan, chest x-ray, and Echocardiogram.

The condition of your lungs - Lung function test and lung perfusion/ventilation scan are the tests that are run on your body to find out the condition of your lungs.

Other tests - There are certain other tests that may be used to figure out how your body is functioning in totality. A sleep study may also be carried out to find out if you have sleep apnea and how oxygen reaches your body when you are asleep.