The term hypertension can be described as a medical condition related to high blood pressure in the body. PH (pulmonary hypertension) is a wider term that can be further classified into several types. Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), on the other hand, is one of the types of PH. The difference between PH and PAH is not much, but there are some points that hve to be kept in mind.

Basic difference between PH and PAH
The high blood pressure of lung to heart system in the body is what people refer to as PH and it is an umbrella term that can be caused due to several reasons. PAH is a type of PH primarily caused due to an increase in blood pressure as a result of injury or narrowing of the small pulmonary arteries.

Differences between the number of people affected
PH can be regarded as a common ailment that can affect almost 10 to 20 percent of the entire population. Whereas, PAH is counted among the rare ailments and affects only a small amount of the population.

Difference between causes that lead to PH and PAH
Another important difference between PH and PAH are the causes that lead to them. There are a number of causes that can lead to pulmonary hypertension such as heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or blood clots in the lungs.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension, on the other hand, is caused mainly because of progressive narrowing of tiny blood vessels in the lungs.

Difference in classifications of both ailments

• Types of PH: Pulmonary hypertension can be further divided into different groups like PH caused due to lung disease, unknown causes, and left heart disease.
• Types of PAH: One major difference between PH and PAH is that the latter can also be caused by other factors like environmental and genetic. There can be some cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension that have no known reason.

Difference in treatment approaches for PH and PAH

• Treating pulmonary hypertension: Most of the treatments for this ailment highly rely on the kind of symptoms the patient is experiencing. PH caused due to blood clots can sometimes be cured by surgery, while prescription drugs control some of its types.
• Treating pulmonary arterial hypertension: Several treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension include medical therapies and medical drugs. The FDA has also approved some treatment lines for this ailment that seem to work for several people.

The above-mentioned points highlight the differences between PH and PAH. They can help you understand the minute differences between these medical ailments. You can summarize all the information by concluding that pulmonary arterial hypertension comes under pulmonary hypertension, but not all pulmonary hypertension cases can be classified as pulmonary arterial hypertension.