UAE leads the way in Pulmonary Hypertension treatment

SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD, UAE - Dec. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Nearly five percent of the UAE population suffers from Pulmonary Hypertension disease , high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs that can lead to heart failure, blood clots and internal bleeding. The figure, in line with global numbers, highlights the need for effective surveillance of the disease epidemiology in the region, as well as public awareness campaigns and new treatment facilities.

With more than one billion people around the world who suffer from chronic respiratory diseases including Pulmonary Hypertension , there are a number of known symptoms including breathlessness, dizziness, feeling faint, swelling of the feet or ankles, and chest pain. Currently there is no one-off test available across the globe to diagnose pulmonary hypertension and people often require a number of tests before an accurate diagnosis can be made.

The Middle East is, however, at the centre of innovative technology providing treatment to residents of the UAE, with the recent inauguration of the first specialist treatment unit in the country, and provides a skilled team of physicians, nurses, technicians and disease specialists.

Dr. Bassam Mahboub, Head of Department Respiratory Disease, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE, said: “Pulmonary hypertension is a chronic progressive disease that has a worse prognosis than many known malignancy. However, in the last decade, there has been a tremendous improvement in understanding the pathology of this disease which has led to breakthroughs in the medical treatment. The last year only has witnessed the approval of two new drugs. The severity and complexity of this illness require that these patients should only be treated by experienced centers.”

Raising awareness regionally and internationally is the Saudi Advisory Group for Pulmonary Hypertension (SAPH) who recognises the lack of awareness amongst local physicians and caregivers. The group aims to ease patient suffering through providing support, education and treatment, and continue to focus on the importance of research.

Mr. Majdy Idrees, President, SAPH, KSA, said: “SAPH is the only Pulmonary Hypertension specialised body in the Arab world and is currently addressing issues related to the education and training of healthcare professionals in the Pulmonary Hypertension field. SAPH has extensively involved in improving the awareness of Pulmonary Hypertension among both patients and physicians and has succeeded to link the international and local experts through collaboration with many international societies.”

Pulmonary Hypertension will be discussed at the fourth Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Diseases Conference at Arab Health Congress to be held in January in Dubai, UAE, which will look at the latest information on the diagnosis, management and treatment of the disease.