BSMMU provides free treatment to Pulmonary Hypertension patients
DHAKA, April 15, 2018 (BSS) – A team of specialists at Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) have been providing free treatment to the
Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) patients for their relief from the disease.
“We have formed a medical board comprising cardiologist, pulmonologist and
rheumatologists, who are providing treatment on the first Sunday of every
month to these patients at the BSMMU Cardiology Department,” Cardiologist Dr
Jahanara Arzu told BSS here today.
Also an associate professor of the BSMMU Cardiology Department, she called
for creating awareness among the common people about the disease as mass
people do not know about it properly.
“Many people know about the systemic hypertension (high blood pressure),
but when the high blood pressure occurs in the arteries of the lungs, called
pulmonary hypertension, it is not properly known to all,” she added.
In the case of PH, Dr Arzu said, the blood vessels in the lungs constrict
and become narrowed due to thromboembolism, cellular proliferation,
remodeling and or obstruction of smaller pulmonary blood vessels.
“They become structurally and functionally abnormal. This makes it harder
for the right ventricle of the heart to pump blood through the lungs to reach
the left side of the heart and to the rest of the body,” she added.
She said this increases stress inside the right ventricle, resulting in
its enlargement and subsequent weakening, eventually leading to right heart
failure.
When this happens, she said, enough oxygen cannot travel to rest of the
body, resulting in symptoms and eventually premature death from progressive
right heart failure or an abnormal heart rhythm.
In general, Dr Arzu said, the most common symptoms are breathlessness,
weakness, dizziness and sometimes syncope, bluish coloration of skin on
activity and when standing up sensation of racing heart beat (palpitations ),
chest pain, particularly on productive cough sometimes blood stained sputum
and activity cough swollen legs and ankle.
She said early symptoms of PH are often subtle and common to other
conditions such as asthma, chronic pulmonary disease and are frequently
overlooked.
Blood tests, ECG, chest x-ray, lung function test, six-minute walk test,
lung ventilation or perfusion scanning, echocardiogram, HRCT, even CT
pulmonary angiogram and right heart catheterization and MRI are useful to
identify the causes, she added.
At the beginning of treatment, the Pulmonary Hypertension expert said,
doctor will have to identify the main reason of the disease.
“A number of drugs improve pulmonary hypertension and appear to relieve the
patients’ symptoms and improve their survival,” she added. These drugs are
Ambrisantan, Sildenafil, Tadalafil, Digoxin, Nidipine and Diureticss.
Dr Arzu said female patients should avoid pregnancy. Hence safe and
effective contraception in women who can become pregnant is mandatory, she
added.
She also said this kind of patient should avoid contraceptive pill or
injection. Dr Arzu said the patient should obey some rules, including enough
rest, avoiding heavy loads, refrain from smoking, avoiding salt, free from
mental pressure and bathing in a short time.