Symptoms And Causes Of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

High Altitudes

The higher the altitude, the more likely you'll get pulmonary hypertension, men. Watch out when you're hiking! When you climb higher, the air gets thinner. Thin air means there's less oxygen in it. And guess what? Less oxygen in the air means the arteries get smaller. Everyone knows smaller arteries means the lungs have to work hard, so hard, to get limited oxygen throughout the body. You've got to keep breathing, men! You have to! But the lungs working harder means the heart is going to be working hard. This triggers rises in blood pressure! It's clear by now: rising blood pressure means men are at a higher, much higher risk of pulmonary hypertension.