The harms of pulmonary arterial hypertension during pregnancy

Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
Updated on September 04, 2024
00:00
00:00

Pulmonary hypertension is categorized into mild, moderate, and severe stages. If it is mild pulmonary hypertension, pregnancy generally does not have a major impact. However, for those with moderate or especially severe pulmonary hypertension, pregnancy can be very dangerous for both the mother and the fetus. As the fetus grows, pulmonary hypertension can lead to ischemia and hypoxia, which can worsen over time. The mother is likely to develop symptoms of acute heart failure, severely endangering her life. Additionally, it can cause intrauterine hypoxia for the fetus, leading to miscarriage or stillbirth. Therefore, pregnancy is not recommended for patients with moderate, and particularly severe, pulmonary hypertension.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
44sec home-news-image

Obvious symptoms of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a relatively common disease in everyday life. Based on the causes of pulmonary hypertension, it can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension. Regardless of the type of pulmonary hypertension, patients often exhibit certain symptoms, such as chest tightness and shortness of breath, which are the most common symptoms. In severe cases, some patients may even experience syncope. When pulmonary hypertension affects the heart, causing right ventricular enlargement, patients often show signs of right heart failure, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, lower limb edema, and gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and abdominal distension.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
52sec home-news-image

Where can moxibustion be applied for pulmonary hypertension?

If the patient has pulmonary arterial hypertension, it is advisable for the patient to actively monitor their blood pressure changes sometimes. This type of pulmonary arterial hypertension may sometimes require drug treatment. The disease primarily manifests as the patient experiencing coughing, phlegm production, palpitations after activity, shortness of breath, and occasionally accompanied by difficulty breathing, especially worsening at night. Sometimes there may also be swelling in the lower extremities. Regarding Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbal medicine, and acupuncture, these treatments can relieve symptoms. However, pulmonary arterial hypertension can sometimes further develop into cor pulmonale, which is irreversible. In such cases, it is recommended to be hospitalized for infusion therapy.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Li
Cardiology
1min 21sec home-news-image

How is pulmonary hypertension treated?

The treatment of pulmonary hypertension mainly focuses on identifying the cause. For idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, treatment primarily targets vascular constriction, endothelial damage, thrombus formation, and heart failure. This is to restore the tension, resistance, and pressure of the pulmonary vessels, improve the patient's sexual function, increase cardiac output, and improve quality of life. The main treatments include: 1. Drug therapy, which includes calcium channel blockers, prostacyclin, nitric oxide, endothelin receptor antagonists, and related anticoagulants. Anticoagulants do not improve symptoms, but can slow down disease progression and improve prognosis in some aspects. However, in cases of right heart failure, hepatic congestion, and ascites, cardiotonic diuretics are used, such as digoxin and anti-calcium channel blockers, which can cause adverse reactions like decreased myocardial contractility. But these drugs should be administered under the guidance of a doctor. In advanced stages of pulmonary arterial hypertension, heart-lung transplantation may be considered.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
48sec home-news-image

Mild pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a relatively common disease in daily life. Many patients, when they go to the hospital for examination, often see reports from cardiac ultrasound indicating mild pulmonary hypertension, moderate pulmonary hypertension, or non-severe pulmonary hypertension. So, what are the criteria for mild pulmonary hypertension? Generally, pulmonary artery pressure is measured using right heart catheterization or cardiac ultrasound. If the pressure is between 30 to 50 mmHg, this is often considered mild pulmonary hypertension. Generally, the prognosis for mild pulmonary hypertension is quite good, typically not producing noticeable symptoms or affecting health.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
1min 1sec home-news-image

Does pulmonary hypertension require oxygen therapy?

Whether pulmonary arterial hypertension requires oxygen therapy primarily depends on the patient's blood oxygen saturation level at rest. Generally, it is recommended to measure the oxygen saturation for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Due to intrapulmonary shunting and shunting between the left and right heart during pulmonary arterial hypertension, arterial and venous blood mix directly, resulting in very low blood oxygen saturation in patients. Generally speaking, if the measured blood oxygen saturation at rest is below 90%, such patients often need oxygen therapy. Even if it does not drop below 90%, patients with moderate to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension also require oxygen therapy. Oxygen therapy can improve hypoxia, significantly dilating the pulmonary vessels and thus alleviating symptoms of high pulmonary artery pressure. It is very valuable for improving patient prognosis and survival time.