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Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease - Symptom

Alternative Names

Pulmonary vaso-occlusive disease

Symptoms:

Shortness of breath
Fatigue on exertion
Fainting
Coughing up blood
Difficulty breathing while lying flat

Signs and tests:

The doctor will perform a physical exam.

The exam may reveal:

High blood pressure in the veins of the lungs
Increased pressure in the neck vein (jugular vein)
Fingernail clubbing
Bluish coloration of the skin due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis)
Swelling in the legs

Your doctor may hear abnormal heart sounds when listening to the chest and lungs with a stethoscope. This type of exam is called auscultation.

The following tests may be done:

Arterial blood gases
Chest x-ray
Chest CT
Cardiac catheterization
Pulmonary angiogram
Echocardiogram
Lung biopsy

Respiratory system

Reviewed last on: 6/10/2008
Sean O. Stitham, MD, private practice in Internal Medicine, Seattle, Washington; and James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Schwarz MI, Collard HR, King TE. Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage and Other Rare Infiltrative Disorders. In: Mason RJ, Murray J, VC Broaddus, Nadel J. Murray & Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2005: chap. 56.

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