PHA-UK - Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension

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Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)

Most commonly, patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) complain of shortness of breath (dyspnoea) and fatigue (excessive tiredness). These symptoms can occur at rest and more frequently during periods of mild exercise or simply walking around. These symptoms are what are described as non-specific. That means that they could occur due to a number of conditions, not just PH. This means that it is quite difficult to initially diagnose PH. In fact there is often a lengthy delay between the time when patients first visit their doctor and the time when they receive specialist care at a hospital.

Since there is no single test that will tell the healthcare team if a patient has PH, it is important to consider all associated diseases as well as other causes of breathlessness, such as certain lung and heart diseases and blood clots. The ruling out of the different diseases that are possible causes of particular symptoms is called the differential diagnosis. The tests carried out are similar in adults and children.

For patients with suspected PH there are several initial steps that are commonly taken to confirm the diagnosis. The history of present illnesses, past medical history, family history and any past or present medications that the patient may have taken are first discussed between the patient and the healthcare team. A thorough physical examination will also take place. Other tests used in the assessment of a patient suspected of PH may include all, or some, of the following:

At any point along the way, these tests could reveal certain abnormalities that may point toward a diagnosis other than PH. Depending on the test results in each circumstance, the healthcare team may then take a different approach towards future investigations.

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