PROFILES |
|
|
Life-Threatening Lung Disease Often Undiagnosed
Top Physician and Patient Discuss Importance of Early Diagnosis
and Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
|
November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month
Approximately 100,000 people in the United States and 200,000
patients worldwide suffer from pulmonary arterial hypertension
(PAH), an incurable, life-threatening disease often misdiagnosed
as other pulmonary conditions such as emphysema and asthma. PAH
is a debilitating disease characterized changes in the blood
vessels in the lungs leading to high pulmonary arterial
pressures.
Patients with PAH suffer from shortness of breath as
the heart struggles to pump against these high pressures. If
left untreated, previous estimates suggest that the average
patient would not be expected to live more than 2.8 years beyond
the time of diagnosis, highlighting the importance of early
diagnosis and treatment. Despite the availability of a variety
of therapies, PAH is often not diagnosed in a timely manner,
largely because classic PAH symptoms such as shortness of breath
and chest pain can be attributed to more common medical
conditions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aaron Waxman, MD, PhD, is a pulmonary critical care physician at the
Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of
Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Waxman's specialties are
in the areas of pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and
internal medicine. In the effort to uncover the best course of
treatment for his patients, Dr. Waxman has been involved in more
than 22 clinical trials on the study of pulmonary arterial
hypertension. As a recognized expert in the medical field, Dr.
Waxman has been interviewed by numerous media outlets including
ABC News, WFXT-TV/Boston, WHDH-TV/Boston, The Boston Globe and
The Boston Herald. |
|
|
| |
Email Article
