Fast Five Quiz: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Presentation and Diagnosis

Vikramjit Khangoora, MD

May 17, 2022

Signs and symptoms of PAH are nonspecific and related to right ventricular dysfunction. Typically, patients present with progressive exertional dyspnea and fatigue owing to inadequate cardiac output during exercise. Patients with underlying heart or lung disease and those with conditions associated with PAH, such as connective tissue disorders, cirrhosis, and HIV infection, who develop signs of right ventricular dysfunction should be screened for pulmonary hypertension.

As PAH progresses, symptoms of right ventricle failure develop:

Exertional chest pain
Exertional syncope
Weight gain from edema
Anorexia
Abdominal pain and swelling
Lower extremity edema

Uncommon symptoms include:

Cough
Hemoptysis
Hoarseness

Learn more about PAH.

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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Vikramjit Khangoora. Fast Five Quiz: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Presentation and Diagnosis - Medscape - May 17, 2022.

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