Pulmonary Hypertension: The Dilemma of Delayed Diagnosis

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: The Dilemma of Delayed Diagnosis PERTENSION High blood pressure in the lungs is called pulmonary hypertension (PH) or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Once considered rapidly fatal, this rare disease is now serious but treatable. Yet even Symptoms often lead to misdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertension as sleep apnea, COPD, asthma or obesity with nine therapies available, many patients receive proper diagnosis and treatment too late. sleep apnea Many patients will see 3 or more different physicians asthma COPD over a 3-year period before they are properly diagnosed with PAH 2.8 jan | feb | mar| apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sept | oct | nov | dec jan | feb | mar | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sept | oct | nov | dec jan | feb | mar | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sept | oct The average time between PH symptom onset and diagnosis years ALMOST 4 OF PATIENTS HAVE ADVANCED PH Time to diagnosis has not changed in over 20 years (CLASS III OR IV) BY THE TIME THEY ARE DIAGNOSED The Pulmonary Hypertension Association's new early diagnosis campaign, Sometimes it's PH, SOURCES: • PHA International White Paper: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Recommendations for Improving Patient Outcomes (2011) targets this injustice. • Delay in Recognition of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Factors Identified From the REVEAL Registry, Lynette M. Brown, MD, PhD, FCCP, et al (CHEST, 2011) Sometimes Learn more at: t's www.SometimesltsPH.org 301-565-3004 The Early Diagnosis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Can We Do Better?, Harold I. Palevsky (CHEST, 2011) PHA obesity