For this reason, we can’t help but wonder what kind of disease is pulmonary hypertension, the “invisible killer” with such a high mortality rate? What are its clinical manifestations? How to detect and treat it early? What is pulmonary hypertension? Pulmonary hypertension is a large group of malignant pulmonary vascular diseases characterized by increased pulmonary artery pressure and small pulmonary artery lesions, and is generally not uncommon. Patients often end up dying due to right heart failure and have a high mortality rate. In idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, for example, if left untreated, the median survival time is only 2.8 years after a clear diagnosis, and the probability of sudden death in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension is more than 30%. Therefore, many domestic and foreign experts call it a “malignant tumor” that occurs in the pulmonary vessels. What are the clinical manifestations of pulmonary hypertension? The scary thing about pulmonary hypertension also lies in its insidiousness, and the initial clinical manifestations are relatively mild, often only non-specific symptoms such as post-exercise exertion, shortness of breath, chest tightness, chest pain, dizziness, etc., which are easily confused with other diseases such as bronchitis, asthma, cardiac insufficiency and coronary heart disease. Moreover, many clinicians lack awareness of pulmonary hypertension, resulting in serious misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of the disease. Who is at risk for pulmonary hypertension? The causes of pulmonary hypertension are also very complex. In addition to idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary hypertension can also be secondary to many diseases, also known as secondary pulmonary hypertension, including many diseases, such as pulmonary thromboembolism, lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, interstitial lung disease, liver cirrhosis, congenital heart disease, etc., all can be complicated by pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, patients with these diseases are at high risk for pulmonary hypertension and should be screened regularly for the presence of pulmonary hypertension. What are the predisposing factors for sudden death in pulmonary hypertension? Patients with pulmonary hypertension usually die as a result of right heart failure. Patients are mostly young people aged 20-40, but their hearts are like those of 70-year-olds, unable to sing, climb stairs, run, or drink Coke, and they may die suddenly at any time even for such trivial things as tying their shoelaces. However, if timely diagnosis and effective treatment can be made, the survival rate of patients can be greatly improved, and even the 5-year survival rate can exceed 70%. Therefore, the key to preventing sudden death is early intervention and early treatment. How to screen for pulmonary hypertension? Due to long-term hypoxia, blue lips and slow pace are the hallmarks of patients with pulmonary hypertension. In clinical practice, echocardiography is usually used to assess the presence of pulmonary hypertension, but if a diagnosis needs to be confirmed, a right heart catheterization is required. Unfortunately, this test is not available in many hospitals, which further increases the difficulty of diagnosing patients with pulmonary hypertension. What is the key to the treatment of pulmonary hypertension? The key to the treatment of pulmonary hypertension is early diagnosis and early treatment. Early diagnosis and timely treatment can help improve the prognosis of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the patient’s clinical manifestations, personal history, family history, physical examination and laboratory tests, and a standardized diagnostic evaluation of pulmonary hypertension, leading to a clear diagnosis and standardized treatment, are of great importance to improve the survival and quality of life of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Finally, it is stressed again and again that early diagnosis and early treatment are crucial to prolong the survival rate of patients. In the face of pulmonary hypertension, the disease itself is not scary; what is scary is that people are far less aware of it. Therefore, if there is unexplained, especially progressive aggravation of chest tightness and shortness of breath, it is important to go to the hospital in time to avoid delaying the best time for treatment.