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Patient Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension information
Welcome to PAH-info.com

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious disease of the arteries connecting the lungs to the heart (the pulmonary arteries). As Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) develops, blood flow through the pulmonary arteries is restricted. The right side of the heart is put under increasing strain to pump blood through to the lungs and this causes the right side of the heart to become enlarged. This process leads to the main symptoms of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) - breathlessness, chest tightness, limited exercise capacity and fatigue.

The early symptoms of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) - such as breathlessness, chest tightness and fatigue - can be mild and are common to many other conditions such as asthma, general fatigue, or lack of physical fitness. As the symptoms may be attributed to other causes, many patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) are only finally diagnosed when the disease has already progressed beyond an early stage.
Untreated, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) can reduce life expectancy. Treatment is aimed at improving symptoms, exercise tolerance, long-term outcomes and quality of life. Until the mid 1980s there were limited treatment options for patients and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) was associated with a poor prognosis. Today, treatment options have significantly improved the outlook for patients with this condition.
This website explains how Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) develops, describes the symptoms associated with this disease and outlines how it can be investigated and treated.

Also included is a Links section, with additional sources of additional information and links to patient support organisations around the world.

PAH-info.com has been developed by Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd as a Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) educational resource for the public.