Pulmonary Arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare progressive disease also known as high blood pressure in the lungs. You may wonder what does the lung have to do with blood pressure? Well, the lung and the heart actually work hand in hand to provide oxygenated blood throughout our body. If there is damage to vessels in the lungs this prevents the oxygenated blood to get through from the lungs to the heart, leading the heart to pump harder thus increasing pressure. In other words, PAH is due to increased pressure in the vessels which is caused by obstruction in the small arteries in the lungs, thus blocking blood flow through the lungs. PAH can be difficult to diagnose, and someone may not know they have PAH until they experience severe symptoms. Although extremely rare, PAH is a very serious condition and if left untreated, it can worsen overtime eventually damaging the heart. The cause of PAH is unknown, but it is thought to be drug-related, or due to connective tissue or autoimmune disorders.
