It is an increase in blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. It is considered hypertension if the reading is greater than 25 mmHg at rest or greater than 30 mmHg during exercise. The increase in pressure overloads the heart, which has to increase its work to expel blood into pulmonary circulation.
The most frequent causes are: hereditary, heart disease, pulmonary disease and pulmonary circulation affected by embolisms or thrombi.
The main symptom is the sensation of choking, first with exercise and later at rest. Other symptoms: night sweats, chronic cough, chest pain and headache.
The diagnosis of suspicion is clinical, by means of interrogation and physical examination. It requires complementary tests for its definitive diagnosis; electrocardiogram, chest X-ray and echocardiography are the most frequent.
Treatment should be individualized according to the case to normalize blood pressure, improve cardiac work and oxygenation. It is based on vasodilator medication and support drugs (diuretics, anticoagulants, oxygen therapy, digoxin, etc.).
- Ann R Stark, MD. Eric C Eichenwald, MD. Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. UpToDate. Apr 19, 2016.
- Abman SH, Hansmann G, Archer SL, et al. Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension: Guidelines From the American Heart Association and American Thoracic Society. Circulation 2015; 132:2037.
- Cole FS, Alleyne C, Barks JD, et al. NIH Consensus Development Conference statement: inhaled nitric-oxide therapy for premature infants. Pediatrics 2011; 127:363.
- Rosenberg AA, Lee NR, Vaver KN, et al. School-age outcomes of newborns treated for persistent pulmonary hypertension. J Perinatol 2010; 30:127.
