Symptoms

SymptomsPeople with Pulmonary Hypertension experience a range of symptoms that vary in intensity depending on the severity of their condition, however the most common symptom is

breathlessness:

shortness of breath (dyspnoea) with no obvious cause during exertion or even at rest.

Patients may also experience some of the following symptoms1:

  • Excessive fatigue
  • Dizziness especially climbing stairs
  • Fainting (syncope), weakness upon physical exertion
  • Chest pain, especially during physical activity
  • Palpitations
  • Swollen legs and ankles
  • Cough

These symptoms can occur at rest or more frequently during periods of mild exercise, or simply walking around.

As the right heart fails; symptom severity increases:

  • Worsening breathlessness
  • Worsening Fatigue
  • Marked ankle oedema
  • Throbbing sensation felt in the neck
  • Feeling of fullness in the abdomen (ascites)
  • Lips and fingernails may take on a bluish tint (Cyanosis)

Reviewed by Prof. Simon J Gibbs

Last medical update: 05/30/2020

Sources

  1. What Is Pulmonary Hypertension? – NHLBI, NIH“. NHLBI. 2 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.