Complications

Potential complications of pulmonary hypertension include:

• Right-sided heart enlargement and heart failure (cor pulmonale). In cor pulmonale, the heart's right ventricle becomes enlarged and has to pump harder than usual to move blood through narrowed or blocked pulmonary arteries.

  As a result, the heart walls thicken and the right ventricle expands to increase the amount of blood it can hold. But these changes create more strain on the heart, and eventually the right ventricle fails.

• Blood clots. Having pulmonary hypertension increases the risk of blood clots in the small arteries in the lungs.
• Arrhythmia. Pulmonary hypertension can cause irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), which can lead to a pounding heartbeat (palpitations), dizziness or fainting. Certain arrhythmias can be life-threatening.
• Bleeding in the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension can lead to life-threatening bleeding into the lungs and coughing up blood (hemoptysis).
• Pregnancy complications. Pulmonary hypertension can be life-threatening for developing baby.