FAQ for newly diagnosed patients What causes pulmonary
hypertension? Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complex and often
misunderstood disease. PH means high blood pressure in the
lungs. PH is different from regular hypertension. In regular
hypertension (also known as high blood pressure), the arteries
throughout a person’s body are constricted. In pulmonary
hypertension, the blood vessels in the lungs become narrowed and
the heart has to work harder to pump blood through them. In many
cases, no cause can be identified, and in these cases the
disease is referred to as idiopathic pulmonary arterial
hypertension (IPAH). Sometimes PH can develop due to another
medical condition, including connective tissue disease,
congenital heart disease, liver disease, HIV, and others. This
type of PH is known as associated pulmonary arterial
hypertension (APAH). Some families have a form of PH that can be
inherited. This is known as heritable pulmonary arterial
hypertension (HPAH). How does my doctor know I have PH? PH can
be