Pulmonary Hypertension

Our dedicated pulmonary hypertension clinic brings together cardiology and respiratory expertise to diagnose it, find its cause and manage it over the long term. Using detailed heart and lung tests, our teams care for people whose pulmonary hypertension is linked to heart, lung, clotting or connective tissue conditions.

What is pulmonary hypertension?

Pulmonary hypertension is raised blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs. When these arteries narrow or stiffen, the right side of the heart works harder and can grow weaker over time. There are several causes, including heart and lung conditions and problems in the blood vessels themselves. Care sits across cardiology and respiratory (pulmonology) medicine, so a specialist confirms it, finds the cause and manages it long-term.

When should you see a specialist?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• Breathlessness that is getting worse, especially on exertion or climbing stairs
• Unusual tiredness that does not improve with rest
• Feeling faint or fainting during activity
• Swelling in the ankles, legs or tummy
• A racing heartbeat or tightness in the chest

If you have pulmonary hypertension and develop sudden or severe chest pain, fainting, or breathlessness that does not settle, seek emergency care straight away.

Pulmonary hypertension is often picked up when breathlessness is being looked into for another reason, because its symptoms overlap with many heart and lung conditions. Some conditions raise the risk, such as scleroderma or another connective tissue disease, a previous blood clot on the lungs, or a heart condition present from birth. If you're living with one of these, your doctor may check for it. Because it takes specialist tests to confirm, care is usually arranged through a specialist centre.

What to expect

If a specialist suspects pulmonary hypertension, a heart ultrasound scan known as an echocardiogram is usually the first test, as it can estimate the pressure in the lungs. To confirm it and measure the pressures directly, the next step is a right heart catheterisation, where a thin tube is passed through to the arteries. Alongside these, you might have a heart tracing called an ECG, lung function tests, a CT scan and blood tests.

When another heart or lung condition is driving it, treating that comes first. Treatment may also include medicines that relax and open the lung arteries, water tablets to ease fluid, and oxygen if your levels are low. Some types, such as clot-related pulmonary hypertension, can be helped by a specialist procedure. Your specialist will talk through the options and agree a plan with you, with monitoring that continues long-term.

Pulmonary hypertension at Mediclinic

We run a dedicated pulmonary hypertension clinic at Mediclinic Airport Road Hospital in Abu Dhabi, where our cardiology team diagnoses the condition, works out its cause and manages it for the long term. To do this we use right heart catheterisation and echocardiography, along with a walking test that measures how the condition affects your everyday activity.

Because pulmonary hypertension often comes alongside other illnesses, we work with our rheumatology, liver and respiratory colleagues so that related conditions are managed together. This clinic sits within our wider cardiology and respiratory care across our UAE hospitals, and we share information and support with people living with the condition and their families.