Proudly Offering Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment Services

If you think you might have pulmonary hypertension, treatment is available at West Coast Pulmonary & Sleep Disorders Center. The experienced lung doctors at our Oxnard and Camarillo offices treat patients from across Ventura County, California, and surrounding areas. And if you cannot make it to an in-person appointment, we also offer a state-of-the-art telemedicine service.

What Is Pulmonary Hypertension?

Before discussing what pulmonary hypertension is, it may be helpful to explain a little about how the heart works. Once blood has circulated throughout the body, it returns to the right side of the heart, which then pumps it to the lungs to be reoxygenated. The left side of the heart then pumps the reoxygenated blood to the rest of the body. Pulmonary hypertension occurs when the blood pressure in an artery carrying blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs becomes too high.

Symptoms of Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms to gradually develop, including:

• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Increased heart rate
• Pain or pressure within the chest
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Blue coloring in the skin and lips
• Swelling within the legs, ankles, and abdomen

What Causes Pulmonary Hypertension?

There are numerous potential causes of pulmonary hypertension, including but not limited to:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Congenital heart defects
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Lupus
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Pulmonary embolisms
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Scleroderma
• Certain medications (for example, certain weight-loss drugs)

In some cases, pulmonary hypertension can develop without any known cause (idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension).

Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment

After a pulmonary hypertension diagnosis, a medical provider will formulate a treatment plan that is customized to the patient’s specific condition. While there is currently no cure for pulmonary hypertension, treatment can help manage symptoms and keep the condition from further damaging the lungs. This might include:

• Medication
• Oxygen therapy
• Surgery

Get Help With Your Pulmonary Hypertension Symptoms

If you think you need pulmonary hypertension treatment, do not delay—contact West Coast Pulmonary & Sleep Disorders Center today and request an appointment with one of our talented lung doctors. We proudly offer same- and next-day scheduling at both of our Ventura County, CA, offices.