A Pulmonary Hypertension News report examines the relationship between pulmonary hypertension and sleep apnea, a common disease that may cause this condition.

The diagnosis, management and prognosis of pulmonary hypertension are closely related to the causes of the disease. The problem is they are not always completely understood. It can develop as consequence of alterations in the cells that line the pulmonary arteries with or without a known cause for it, or as result of another primary condition. Sleep apnea, a potentially severe sleep disease that makes patients stop breathing repeatedly for short periods of time while sleeping, is among the most common primary diseases that cause pulmonary hypertension.

Sleep apnea is a well-known contributor for the development of cardiovascular disease and pulmonary hypertension. This is correlation happens since the disease increases the risk of hypertension, pulmonary vascular disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and arrhythmias. The study “Obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension” focused on the reasons for this and concluded that the increase in pulmonary artery pressure is related to repetitive nocturnal arterial oxygen desaturation and hypercapnia, and large intrathoracic negative pressure swings.

Read the full story at www.pulmonaryhypertensionnews.com