This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not been medically edited. Scleroderma (SD) affects everyone differently. Just because something is listed here does not mean an individual patient will ever experience it. See Disclaimer
Symptoms of Pulmonary Hypertension
Initially there may be no symptoms at all. Later, symptoms include shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue with exertion. As it progresses, patients become very tired after only slight activity. Eventually, patients experience right-sided heart failure and death. However, the course of mild to moderate PH in scleroderma patients is still unknown, and its possible that it may persist unchanged for long periods of time.
Shortness of Breath This worrisome symptom has many acute and chronic causes. Follow this flowchart for more information about the diseases in which shortness of breath occurs. familydoctor.org.
What are common symptoms of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension? Common early symptoms include breathlessness or shortness of breath (particularly on exertion), chronic fatigue, dizziness (especially when walking upstairs or when standing up), fainting, swollen ankles and legs, and chest pain (especially during physical activity). Actelion Pharmaceuticals.
Pulmonary Functional Abnormalities in Asymptomatic Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. Functional defects, mainly of the restrictive type, were observed in almost half of the asymptomatic patients with SSc. Pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension are also findings in patients without clinical expression. Active detection of pulmonary involvement is recommended for all SSc patients. M. Nicola. AB0190 EULAR 2005. (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis)
SCLERO.ORG is brought to you by the nonprofit International Scleroderma Network (ISN). The ISN is a full-service nonprofit scleroderma charitable foundation providing stellar research, support, education and awareness for scleroderma and related illnesses, such as pulmonary hypertension.
