Annual Echocardiogram
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that
all people with scleroderma be screened for pulmonary hypertension
(PAH) once a year with an echocardiogram.1
This is a very important recommendation for people
with scleroderma because it could save or prolong their lives.
An echocardiogram can detect high blood pressure
in the pulmonary arteries, a symptom of pulmonary arterial
hypertension (PAH), a potentially life threatening condition.
PAH occurs in about 15% of people with scleroderma.2 PAH is
high blood pressure in the arteries that take blood from the
right side of the heart to the lungs.
When the blood pressure inside the pulmonary arteries is
high, the right side of the heart has to pump harder to move
blood into the lungs to pick up oxygen. The extra work can
cause the right side of the heart to become enlarged. An echocardiogram
reveals the enlargement. Repeating the test annually tracks
progression if progression occurs.
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. It is painless,
noninvasive, and simple and only takes about twenty minutes.
No needles or anesthetics are involved.
PAH can be treated with a few relatively new drugs: Tracleer®
(bosentan) and Remodulin®, which are given orally, and
Flolan® which is given subcutaneously. Each of these drugs
may have side effects and if one is not right for you there
are others to try.
As with any test or medication, consult with
your physician about this recommendation.
1 Scleroderma Foundation
Website, www.scleroderma.com, 11/10/03
2 The Scleroderma Book, Maureen
D. Mayes, M.D., p. 92 |
