Patients living with PAH may not be able to keep up with the active lifestyle they are used to. A task that would normally take an hour may take several days or more. Patients are advised to prioritise their activities and set a realistic goal.
Over-the-counter drugs should be taken with extra care. Some drugs may have interaction with blood thinners such as warfarin whereas sedative drugs can worse hypoxia in patients with PAH. Patients are advised to consult their doctor for advice first.
NHCS PAH patients are followed up regularly at the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic. During the clinic visit, the patient’s response to treatment as well as signs of clinical deterioration will be assessed. Blood tests such as NT-proBNP, liver and kidney function tests are monitored regularly to assess the effects of treatment. An annual echocardiogram and 6-minute walk test are done to assess the effect of treatment on right heart function and patient’s functional capacity.
NHCS runs a monthly pulmonary hypertension clinic - a joint clinic run by cardiologists from NHCS together with respiratory physicians and rheumatologists from the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) with the assistance of trained and specialised pulmonary hypertension nurses. The pulmonary hypertension clinic provides a comprehensive and seamless care for PAH patients as they enjoy the convenience of seeing three specialists in one clinic session. It also allows the multidisciplinary team to discuss and manage complex PAH patients in the same setting.
