clinical features

Last reviewed 01/2018

The predominant symptoms and signs include:

  • effort intolerance and fatiguability
  • praecordial chest pain
  • dizziness
  • syncope
  • angina reflecting a limited cardiac output
  • peripheral cyanosis
  • haemoptysis may occur
  • loud pulmonary component of second heart sound
  • if right-sided heart failure has supervened:
    • raised JVP with "a" waves
    • hepatomegaly and oedema
    • right ventricular heave
    • posssible heart murmurs - diastolic murmur due to pulomonary incompetence; also pansystolic murmur due to tricuspid incompetence
    • ECG shows right ventricular hypertrophy

Reference:

  1. BHF Factfile (1/2003). Pulmonary Hypertension.