Noticias del Corazón: "La hipertensión pulmonar en tres mensajes"

Madrid, May 12 (efesalud.com). "Pulmonary hypertension, which is a relatively common condition because it is usually secondary to other heart and lung diseases, such as COPD, occurs when high blood pressure affects the arteries of the lungs and the right side of the heart," says Dr. Carlos Macaya Miguel. From the Interhospital Foundation for Cardiovascular Research (FIC), Dr. Macaya reminds us that "oxygenated blood, rich in nutrients, reaches every cell in the human body through the arteries and then returns deoxygenated to the heart to be revitalized through the veins." This circulatory process, major and minor, is incessant; the blood flow is achieved through systole or contraction and diastole or dilation of the heart muscle. Therefore, although we only have one heart, it is divided into two halves, which are even called the 'right heart' and the 'left heart'. The heart's four valves—the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic—are veils of almost transparent connective tissue, allowing blood to pass through the atria and ventricles. They are responsible for ensuring that blood flow to the heart does not reverse, but rather circulates forward with each heartbeat, with some opening and others closing rhythmically and in a coordinated manner. "The pulmonary artery originates in the right ventricle of the heart and carries all the venous blood to the lungs, passing through the pulmonary valve, for oxygenation. The oxygenated blood then travels to the left side of the heart," he explains. "This part of the vascular circuit is low-pressure, with an average of around 20 mmHg; which, compared to normal blood pressure (120 mmHg systolic/80 mmHg diastolic), is one-fifth of the blood pressure we all know," he adds. But sometimes, the pressure in the pulmonary artery increases, leading to hypertension. "It's almost always due to a problem originating in the lungs, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, or a primary pathology in the artery itself," explains Dr. Carlos Macaya, interventional cardiologist. FULL TEXT: https://efesalud.com/noticiero-corazo... MORE HEALTH INFORMATION: http://www.efesalud.com/