A relatively rare disease, pulmonary hypertension causes high blood pressure in the arteries of your lungs, potentially triggering all kinds of issues with your breathing, heart, and other areas of the body. But did you know there are less common symptoms that may be confused with other diseases and illnesses?
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension or aren’t sure what to make of your current symptoms, you should always be vigilant. With proper treatment and lifestyle changes, the disease can be managed.
Here are five uncommon symptoms of pulmonary hypertension that you may not realize.
1. Blood Clots
When you have a blood clot, adequate blood flow is cut off. This means parts of your body may be depleted of the oxygen and nutrients they need. You may experience sudden severe symptoms that are quite scary. When a blood clot occurs in your lungs, it’s called a pulmonary embolism.
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These blood clots in your lungs can lead to hypertension because your blood has to pump harder to try to get around the clot. Not to mention, these clots can narrow your arteries over time, forcing the blood to move faster and harder to pass through.
Signs of a pulmonary embolism typically include sudden shortness of breath, coughing up blood, dizziness and passing out, and sharp chest pain that worsens with breathing. If you have any of these issues, contact your doctor immediately.
RELATED: Quiz: Are You on Top of Pulmonary Hypertension?
2. Blue Discoloration
Called cyanosis, this sometimes alarming discoloration is the direct result of lack of oxygen or poor oxygen distribution in your bloodstream. You will typically notice cyanosis in your skin, fingernails, and lips. That said, it can also occur in your tongue, gums, and even ears.
Your skin may even take on a more grayish hue, which could indicate a lack of oxygen. This happens because your lung’s arteries are narrowed and oxygen isn’t getting transported like it should be. If left untreated, cyanosis may occur even when you’re at rest and can be potentially life-threatening.
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3. Lightheadedness
A lot of things can cause lightheadedness. You may be exhausted from exercise. Perhaps you haven’t eaten in a while and have low blood sugar. Maybe you’re simply stressed, or there was some sudden and severe change in the weather.
But did you know pulmonary hypertension often triggers lightheadedness and even fainting? This happens because the tension of your lung’s arteries is causing a lack of oxygenated blood. When you lack oxygenated blood, your brain is deprived, and you’ll feel it!
4. Malnutrition
Although the exact causes are not fully understood, we can think of them practically. Consider your blood for a moment. Your bloodstream is essentially your lifestream. After all, your blood carries oxygen and nutrients to all the corners of your body. Without that, you can’t live.
But what happens if your blood is not in good condition? If your arteries are narrowed and your heart is working harder to pump, you might not be absorbing all the nutrients you need. As a result, you may experience malnutrition.
This is one reason doctors use IVs to provide patients with pulmonary hypertension with the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need.
5. Swelling of Legs, Ankles, and Abdomen
You might not think of swelling in your legs and ankles when you think of issues with your lungs, but it turns out that hypertension in your lungs can be linked to all sorts of remote issues. One of those is swelling caused by fluid build-up.
What causes this exactly?
One of the reasons is that blood gets ‘backed up.’ This happens because your arteries are narrowed and the blood is unpumped. When this happens, fluid can leak into your tissues, and eventually (thanks to gravity), may extend to your extremities.
In some cases, you may experience other symptoms that are even less common. One reason for this may be a unique and extremely rare form of pulmonary hypertension called chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
What Is CTEPH?
If you have CTEPH, you will experience very high blood pressure in very tiny blood vessels in your lungs. If you have a history of blood clots it’s always a good idea to be screened for CTEPH. This condition is most common in females and may be more likely due to preexisting conditions, like certain cancers, inflammatory diseases, heart infections, and thyroid dysfunction.
The symptoms are similar to those associated with pulmonary hypertension in general.
Speak with your doctor. Tests like lung ventilation scans and pulmonary function tests can help detect it. While you can take medication to treat it, in some cases, you may require surgery to remove the blood clots. Your physician can narrow your options and help you find the most effective treatment for your case. In some cases, the blood-clot surgery, called pulmonary endarterectomy, can cure you!
