The chance of developing it is literally one in a million. But people who do suffer from primary pulmonary hypertension present a medical challenge, to say the least. When blood flow is obstructed through the lungs, it can cause the right side of the heart to swell and eventually stop working.
Doctors call it primary pulmonary hypertension only when all other diagnosis have been ruled out.
People who suffer from it feel fatigue and shortness of breath. Caught early, the condition can be treated with medications. But if it's escaped notice for too long, patients may have to carry a pump on their belt 24 hours a day that continuously dispenses a drug called Flolan. Dr. Sean Gaine directs the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Johns Hopkins. We still can't cure it.