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Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Hypertension

The incidence of cardiopulmonary hypertension in children is rare, and its diagnosis is sometimes difficult, particularly in very young patients. Pulmonary hypertension is a condition of the blood vessels of the lungs, wherein the blood pressure is elevated. This form of hypertension is different from systemic hypertension, in which the blood pressure throughout the body is elevated.

  1. Symptoms

    • Young patients with this form of hypertension may experience chest pain, fatigue, labored breathing and feelings of faintness. Infants and toddlers may have difficulty expressing these symptoms, making diagnosis difficult.

    Types

    • Two types of cardiopulmonary hypertension are primary and secondary. The primary class exhibits elevated blood pressure without any underlying cause. The secondary form results from another disease, such as lung disease, clotting conditions, drugs, HIV infection, an inflammatory disease or congenital heart disease.

    Risks

    • Patients who have pulmonary hypertension, along with a failure of the right ventricle, are considered to have a higher risk of cardiac arrest, or heart attack.

    Statistics

    • In the United States, an estimated 16,000 children suffer heart attacks each year. Their survival and prognoses are determined largely by the environment, available medical personnel or CPR-trained attendants, pre-existing conditions and time without blood flow.

    Outlook

    • Survival rates for pediatric patients experiencing cardiac arrest have greatly improved in recent years.

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