'Time Matters' needs your help to drive awareness of PH around the world
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an irreversible, life-threatening condition which affects the lungs and heart, characterized by high blood pressure of the arteries of the lungs. Accurate and early diagnosis and early treatment can mean the difference between life and death.
The symptoms of PH are non-specific; you may notice you are short of breath, tired and dizzy. As you try to carry out your normal daily activities, your heart needs to work harder to pump blood through the blood vessels to the lungs, which are narrowed due to PH. When the right-hand side of the heart has to keep working harder, it can become unhealthily large and inefficient at pumping blood. ...As the demand increases, so does the strain on the heart…the result can lead to heart failure...
Your support is needed...
PH is a serious condition that gets progressively worse. Loss of normal function due to the progressive nature of PH cannot be entirely regained, therefore time matters in receiving effective treatment, early.
A diagnosis of PH can be very frightening for both the person diagnosed and their friends and loved ones. It can also feel very lonely because often no one has heard of PH…But you are not alone: around 25 million people around the world are living with PH and share the experience. Reaching out to some of those people by sharing your hopes for the future may be the first step to helping you have a more positive outlook.
