Do you know “blue lips”? May 5th is the 11th World Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Day. The “Nanshan Famous Doctors Group” of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University gave a live online lecture on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension to conduct popular science and free diagnosis for the public. Zhong Nanshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a leader of the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the First Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, participated in the event, calling on the public to understand the disease of pulmonary arterial hypertension as soon as possible, so as to achieve early diagnosis and early treatment.
On May 5th, Academician Zhong Nanshan attended the “Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Day” patient teaching activity.
“Blue Lips” or Pulmonary Hypertension
What is Pulmonary Hypertension? This is a disease that is not well known to the general public and is often misdiagnosed. Zhong Nanshan explained to everyone the cause of pulmonary hypertension, a disease related to the “right heart” and a series of symptoms caused by the increased pressure in the pulmonary artery connected to the right heart. Heart” related diseases are different.
There are many possible factors that can cause pulmonary hypertension, including the problem of the pulmonary artery itself, the cause of the heart, or the cause of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or the cause of blood clots after getting older, and so on.
“The main symptoms of it are cyanosis, purple lips, ‘blue lips'”, according to Liu Chunli, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the First Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, after the occurrence of pulmonary hypertension, the pulmonary arteries become narrowed or even blocked. With less room for blood flow, patients experience dizziness, chest pain, and difficulty breathing.
To diagnose this disease, color ultrasound and right heart catheter are commonly used clinically to measure pulmonary artery pressure to diagnose the disease. Only after accurate measurement can the diagnosis be made,” Liu Chunli reminded.
Liu Chunli, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, introduced the knowledge of pulmonary hypertension.
Patients take an average of 2-3 years and see 3-5 doctors to be diagnosed.
Liu Chunli introduced that in addition to idiopathic and familial pulmonary hypertension , other types of pulmonary arterial hypertension are not uncommon. There are 50 million patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension in the world. Among people over 65 years old, the prevalence will increase to 5% to 10%. In my country, according to the statistics of the China Charity Federation, about There are 12 million patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, an increase of about 5,000 cases per year, and it takes an average of 2 to 3 years for patients to see 3 to 5 doctors to be diagnosed.
“It’s not uncommon or uncommon, but many people don’t necessarily know it. They often go to a lot of hospitals and think of a lot of methods, and finally they are diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, unfortunately, it is often too late at this time.” Zhong Nanshan said that because the diagnosis was too late, the five-year survival rate of this disease was not even as good as that of some malignant tumors more than ten years ago. It is one of the original intentions of the birth of “Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Day”.
In recent years, with the advancement of diagnosis and treatment technology, the 5-year survival rate of pulmonary arterial hypertension has increased, and some types of drugs have also been reimbursed by medical insurance. Liu Chunli introduced that after the introduction of targeted drugs, the 5-year survival rate of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in my country increased from 20.8% in 2005 to 53.7% in 2011, and foreign studies have recorded better treatment effects. It also clearly indicates that early diagnosis and early treatment bring about a significant improvement in patient survival data.
Liu Chunli, Chief Physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, introduced the improvement in the treatment effect of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, IPAH in the figure refers to idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension) in recent years Condition.
“The key is early recognition, early diagnosis, and identification of the cause. The sooner we find out, the better the treatment effect. We can’t wait until the later stage and only have lung transplantation”, Zhong Nanshan said. Specific and targeted therapeutic drugs, such as “Viagra” (that is, “sildenafil”), is a phosphodiesterase type V inhibitor, which was used for pulmonary hypertension abroad 20 years ago. It is widely known for the treatment of erectile dysfunction), in addition, Chinese herbal medicines are also being developed.
Written by: Southern Metropolis reporter Li Wen correspondent Han Wenqing