Soočanje slovenskih bolnikov s pljučno hipertenzijo in njihovih svojcev z boleznijo
Coping with pulmunary hypertension in patients and their families in Slovenia

slovenian

2016

volume 15, issue 2

chronic disease   coping with illness   Family   family coping   Hypertension, Pulmonary   psychology   pulmonary hypertension

Univerzitetni rehabilitacijski inštitut RS – Soča
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Background: Pulmonary hypertension is a severe, debilitating disease that is characterised with progressive increase in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP). It is defined by mean PAP while resting equal or greater than 25 mmHg. Hightened PAP leads to overload and dysfunction of the right ventricle. Eventually, this leads to right-ventricle failure, symptoms and signs of low minute heart volume, hypoxemia and consequently an early death. During intense medical treatment and prolongation of life the patients with PH and their families face various psychosocial difficulties. Beside new regulatory changes and developmental tasks a family with a PH patient must also learn to face and live with an unpredictable future and demanding treatment. Hence, we investigated the response of patients with PH and their families to a lifelong presence of pulmonary hypertension, focusing on the ways of coping with the disease. This topic has not been studied yet, so our study represents the beginning of research of psychosocial aspects of patients with PH in Slovenia.

13.11.2017