Some types of PH can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment of other medical conditions. For example:
- In patients with lung disease, diagnosis of low oxygen levels in the blood and appropriate treatment with oxygen may prevent PH
- In patients born with defects of the heart (also known as congenital heart disease), early diagnosis of the defect, such as during childhood, and surgical repair of the defect may prevent PH in the future
- In patients with pulmonary embolism, effective treatment with blood thinners (also known as anti-coagulants) may prevent PH
In many other types of PH, there is presently no way to prevent PH. These types of PH include:
- Idiopathic IPAH (previously known as PPH)
- Familial or inherited PAH (FPAH)
- PAH associated with connective tissue disease (such as scleroderma), HIV infection, or cirrhosis of the liver