Posted on 03/13/2010 2:18:54 PM PST by smokingfrog
On Tuesday's edition of MSNBC News Live, host David Shuster tossed softballs to an 11-year-old supporter of Obamacare. However, back in 2009, reporter Norah O'Donnell grilled a conservative teen and fan of Sarah Palin.
Written by NewsBusters' Scott Whitlock, edited by Bob Parks
Did you expect anything different?
Pulmonary Hypertension
Treatment There is no known cure. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms. When the pulmonary hypertension is brought on my another condition, then treatment is usually directed at that underlying disease.
Many new treatment options for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and other forms of pulmonary aterial hypertension are becoming available. Medicines used to treat pulmonary hypertension include:
Ambrisentan (Letairis)
Bosentan (Tracleer)
Calcium channel blockers
Diuretics
Prostacyclin or similar medications
Sildenafil
Your doctor will decide which medicine is best for you. You will be closely monitored during treatment to watch for side effects and how well you're responding to the medication. Some patients are put on blood thinners to reduce the risk of blood clots in leg veins and lung arteries.
People with advanced cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension may need oxygen. If treatment with medications fails, suitable candidates may be helped by a lung or heart-lung transplant.
As the illness progresses, changes in the home environment and more help around the home will be needed.
Causes
Normally, the left side of the heart produces a high blood pressure in order to pump blood to the body. The right side of the heart pumps blood through the lungs under much lower pressure.
Pulmonary hypertension is usually caused by a narrowing of the small arteries of the lung. This narrowing makes it harder for the right side of the heart to circulate the blood to the lungs. Over time, the right side of the heart may become enlarged and een fail (cor pulmonale).
Pumonary hypertension may be caused by:
A genetic defect
Any condition that causes chronic low oxygen levels in the blood
Autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma
Certain diet medications
Congestive heart failure
History of a blood clot in the lung
HIV infection
Lung or heart valve disease
Obstructive sleep apnea
In many cases, the cause is unknown, in which case the condition is known as idiopathic pulmonary arteril hypertension (IPAH).
If it is caused by a known medicine or medical condition, it is called secondary pulmonary hypertension. IPAH is rare. It affects more women than men.
Sounds to me like not a whole lot can be done for this except lung/heart transplant and certain meds. How many people can, not only not afford a transplant, but, die waiting even if they can. I have a feeling the whole truth of this isn't being told. And the kid is being used.
When I heard Rush talking about this yesterday, it sounded to me like what you describe - this woman probably needed a transplant. The fact that she did not have medical insurance had little or nothing to do with the reason she died. If you need a transplant and there’s no donor, chances are you’re going to die no matter how wealthy you are or what kind of insurance you may or may not have. The young man could have been a valuable spokesperson for organ donation, but instead was exploited by the democrats.
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