Rely on expert pulmonologists at AnMed to diagnose and treat pulmonary hypertension. You’ll learn to manage your condition and have a full life with support from a team of professionals.
Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lungs and affects the right side of the heart. This differs from regular high blood pressure in the arteries throughout the body. PH causes your heart to work harder to pump blood, weakening your heart muscle and can lead to heart failure.
There are five types of PH, and each has a different cause:
Knowing the type of PH helps your doctor tailor treatment decisions to address the underlying causes.
Your symptoms may vary depending on the cause of PH. The most common PH symptoms are also associated with many other conditions, including:
The earlier you see a doctor to diagnose your condition, the better your treatment outcome and quality of life.
When you choose AnMed for care, rest assured you’ll get the best possible treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. We are a Pulmonary Hypertension Association-accredited Regional Clinic Program (PHA-RCP).
Selection as an accredited program required AnMed to demonstrate expert-level care, skilled evaluations based on evidence-based guidelines and high-quality treatment.
Pulmonologists at AnMed excel at providing specialized care, a full array of diagnostics and medical therapies to treat your condition. Other doctors send their pulmonary arterial hypertension patients to us from hours away for our expertise and treatment. We’ll get to know you well and meet your needs consistently.
At your first appointment, expect your doctor to review your medical and family health history and perform a physical exam. Because PH symptoms are associated with many other conditions, your doctor will order one or more pulmonary diagnostic tests to evaluate your heart and lung functions and pressure, such as:
Your doctor will assess your pulmonary arterial hypertension risk if you have a right-heart catheterization. This test checks how well your heart pumps and measures your heart and lung pressures. Your assessment assists your doctor in calculating a risk score. This score helps your doctor determine the best treatment approach for your risk category (low, intermediate or high) and your long-term prognosis.
When you receive a right-heart catheterization, an AnMed registered respiratory therapist (RRT) will serve as your patient navigator and get involved in your care. Count on your navigator to help you and your family:
Your navigator will also attend follow-up appointments with you.
There is no cure for PH, but your doctor will recommend an individualized treatment plan to control symptoms and prevent more lung damage. The treatment or combination of treatments you receive will depend on your PH type and the severity of your symptoms. It’s important to have a physician—like the experts at AnMed—experienced in treating PH to achieve your best outcome.
Your treatment goal will be to lower your risk by treating and managing your symptoms.
Treatments at AnMed can help relieve symptoms, improve your quality of life and even slow down PAH progression. Your treatments may include:
Manage life better when you have PH. Rely on guidance and support from your AnMed pulmonary care team. You may need to change your daily routine and activities to feel your best.
You’ll need to put extra effort into lifestyle changes because they greatly affect how you feel. Your team may recommend:
Living with PH can sometimes be challenging. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from family or a caregiver at home. Ask your AnMed care team to help with new or better ways to manage your PH. We can put you in touch with at-home (outpatient) palliative care and nutrition services available at AnMed.
View more support, advice and tips for coping with PH on the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s website.
Attending the AnMed PH support group provides vital education about the disease process and how to self-manage PH. AnMed has two active PH support groups, one in Anderson and one in Greenville. Ask your care team about how to get involved.
Follow the Anderson Pulmonary Hypertension Support Group on Facebook to keep up to date on meetings.
As a PHA-accredited center, AnMed participates in the PHA Registry. During appointments, we explain the importance of the registry and ask our patients to enroll. This patient registry is a database that collects and evaluates patient data to study patterns that could lead to new treatments and better care and outcomes for you.
Expect a referral to our partners for the most comprehensive PH care. If you have CTEPH, you’ll get a referral to Duke University Medical Center for evaluation.
You’ll also get a referral to Duke or the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for a second opinion and an evaluation for a lung transplant.
Ask your care team at AnMed how to get involved with a PH research study or clinical trial. We'll refer you if you may benefit from studies or medication trials elsewhere. This provides you access to promising new treatments before they’re widely available.
Ask your doctor for a referral to a pulmonologist at AnMed for expert pulmonary hypertension care.