More than 25 million people are affected by Pulmonary Hypertension, here are the symptoms

On May 5, more than 80 organizations around the world come together to mark World Pulmonary Hypertension Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of a dangerous, complex and often undiagnosed disease.

The purpose of this day is to promote wider recognition and understanding, both among health professionals and the general public, of the challenges posed by this disease.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious condition, affecting over 25 million people worldwide.

It is a disease that progressively worsens and affects the blood vessels in the lungs, making them narrow and hardened.

This increases pressure in the lungs and places an extraordinary burden on the right heart, forcing it to work harder until it can no longer, which often ends in fatal heart failure.

What makes this disease even more dangerous is the fact that the initial symptoms are mild and nonspecific: shortness of breath, fatigue, sometimes chest pain. These are symptoms that are easily confused with common illnesses such as asthma, anxiety, or chronic fatigue.

For this reason, many patients wander for months or years between doctors until they reach the correct diagnosis - often when the disease has advanced significantly.

This difficult reality is why this year's World Pulmonary Hypertension Day message is: 'Sometimes it's Pulmonary Hypertension.'

A clear call that shows the importance of thinking about this disease, even when the symptoms seem common.

The information activities and awareness campaigns organized on this day aim to shed light on the difficult and often uncertain journey of patients, who face an unknown and undiagnosed disease for a long time.

Early diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension is the most important intervention to slow the progression of the disease and improve quality of life.

On this day, more than ever, we must listen to patients' stories, understand their challenges, and commit as a society to ensuring that no one is left without help just because their symptoms were not taken seriously in time. iefimerida