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​A note from the PHNA administrator 
​Please be advised that our website will be undergoing some reconstruction as we become a nationwide organisation. We will endeavour to have everything up to date and operational as we add in and change information to accommodate all the states of Australia as quickly as possible and ask for your patience as we build this into our site. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. We update our site on a regular basis and offer new and interactive viewing for you so come back and visit us often. Thank you from the CEO of PHNA ​
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Understanding Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) & Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
​​What is the difference between Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)? 
There is an important difference between PH & PAH. Pulmonary hypertension is a general term and simply means high blood pressure in the lung. The high blood pressure can be caused by many medical conditions such as diseases of the left heart, chronic lung diseases, sleep apnoea, and blood clots in the lungs. PAH is a specific cause of Pulmonary Hypertension where the arteries of the lungs are directly diseased and become narrowed. It is very important that the exact cause of PH is determined since treatment must be directed at the underlying condition. 

What is Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)?
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is the medical term for a progressive disease caused by narrowing or tightening (constriction) of the pulmonary arteries that connect the right side of the heart to the lungs. PAH is a serious condition that affects the blood vessels (pulmonary arteries) that carry blood from the heart to the lungs. PAH is the medical term for a progressive disease caused by narrowing or tightening (constriction) of the pulmonary arteries that connect the right side of the heart to the lungs. 

​PAH gradually restricts the flow of blood through the lungs. As a result, the pressure in the pulmonary arteries increases. The heart must pump against this increased pressure to maintain blood flow in the lungs and to the rest of the body. Over time, this can affect the heart's ability to work effectively and may eventually lead to heart failure. 

Although PAH is still a rare condition, it is a disease that can affect males and females of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Very rarely, PAH occurs in childhood. This makes early diagnosis very important as treatment can alleviate many of the symptoms associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension, improving people's quality of life.  Treatment and ongoing management by specialist pulmonary hypertension doctors, nurses, and their healthcare team is vital.
People with certain existing medical conditions can also be at a higher risk of developing pulmonary hypertension CLICK (for more info). Currently their is no cure for this serious progressive disease but every year new and improved medications and treatments are being developed which have prolonged and improved the lives ​of those living with this disease.
PHNA have gathered together the most relevant & up-to-date information for people living with pulmonary hypertension, either written and produced directly through us (see our PH Patient Pack & Resources) or shared with you and/or adapted from other respected organisations. We have endeavoured to present information in an easy to navigate format. We have offered other links to our sister groups, where necessary, and relevant, to further expand your information base. 

There  are a great many new and exciting developments in the world of Pulmonary Hypertension. ​With more effective treatments being available people with pulmonary hypertension have the opportunity to manage their disease better, and achieve a higher quality of physical, emotional, and psychological health and well being.  ​
(Part of this explanation for PH/PAH was shared with you from the Lung Foundations Better Living Series PAH - A Patients Guide. For your own complete guide contact PHNA or LFA).
Read all the latest on PAH and general lung health from the peak body in Australia for lung diseases.  CLICK for calendar updates on events in Australia.
Introducing the new booklet Better Living with PAH from the our peak body the Lung Foundation Australia. We are pleased to present this booklet as part of a series on living better with lung disease that now includes Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. This booklet is easy to read and understand and gives the new and existing patient an opportunity to really understand the definitions and disease process of PAH. We highly recommend this resource to the community. You can go online (below) to download, or contact us or the LFA for your own copy. Better Living with PAH Booklet - Fact Sheet on PAH 
Seasonal Winter Information & Tips (Click for more)
A little background....   
Click here for more on our story since its inception in 2010, and to meet our Team who work hard to make life better for people living with PH.
Hello, welcome to the PHNA website launched in November 2015. Our site and organisation is a community information and support network for Australia. We aim to assist people living with pulmonary hypertension, family, friends, and carers. We have provided "Quick Links" in our Website specifically to assist newly diagnosed or long term PH patients, Carers and medical & health professionals, along with other valuable organisations to help you live well with your PH.

We hope that the general community can benefit from the information on our site, especially if they have a loved one or a friend with PH. You will find our website is very much an extension of our quarterly magazine "PHan Mail", in that it is bright, colourful and uplifting, while being realistic and informative. PHNA strives to provide you with a one stop shop approach to the information, support and resources you need. 
PHNA aims to offer resources and information to help raise awareness about Pulmonary Hypertension for people living with pulmonary hypertension, their family, friends, and carers. We are also committed to raising awareness among other organisations, healthcare professionals and the wider community.  Our aim is to continue to create a network across Australia with other like minded organisations to help raise the PH profile throughout our great nation. Through these partnerships we can ensure that patients living with PH have the resources, information, and support they need no matter which state they live in. 
PHNA is an independent, non-profit, nationwide organisation based in Western Australia. Our organisations network includes people living with pulmonary hypertension, their family, friends, carers, volunteers, healthcare professionals, business and community members, and many other professional organisations within this sector. The people in the PHNA network work on a volunteer basis, to help improve the lives of people with this rare and serious disease. We recognise the Lung Foundation Australia as the peak body for all lung diseases in Australia (based in Queensland) and the Thoracic Society of Australia & NZ (affiliates) as the peak body for Pulmonary Hypertension.
Take a look at some of these QUICK links... 
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Become a PHNA Member Free and join a global network of organisations who have joined together to provide you with the best possible support, information & resources. 

​​PHNA strives to build a network that includes everyone who may be pivotal to people living with pulmonary hypertension. 

    How did you hear about us?
As a non-profit and NGO (non government organisation), Pulmonary Hypertension Network Australia relies on sponsors, personal donations and educational grants to continue its patient assistance programs, awareness raising, and education initiatives. We raise all our own funds and we work very hard to do this. Everyone who contributes from the team is working for the well being of people living with PH on a voluntary basis, which often incurs personal costs too. Many of the volunteers themselves have PH or another chronic illness. Some are carers, family members and friends. We have built relationships with our community and as such have been able to add valued sponsors to our network who also assist us in helping to reach our goals and objectives. ​
One of the things we like to do is involve the person/s, business or organisation in the outcomes of our projects. For money donated or raised we set a clear path for everyone to see what we intend to do with the funds. We outline our aims and goals and we advertise the donors details on our materials, which is our way of saying thank you for being part of a valued PHNA project.

We like to be transparent in our approach so that people making donations or raising money towards our initiatives feel that their valuable contribution is not going to be wasted or abused. Our CFO ensures our book work is up to date and ready to be audited at any time. 

Communities generally like to see outcomes for what they support and we like to show them all our hard work. To date PHNA has been extremely fortunate to have had both private and public donations from members and businesses or organisations that valued our goals enough to donate money in order that our projects/events could become a reality. ​
How Can I Help? 
There are many ways you can help. Become a  member  or , volunteer, join "The Pledge Initiative" for corporate & small business, make a donation (all donations $2.00 are tax deductible), become a part of our Community Fundraising Hero's Group.  

​Help us continue to improve the quality of life for people living with pulmonary hypertension in Australia and celebrate its success's together.  If you would like to become part of the PHNA support team official partners and sponsors please contact us today.  Click Here for more.

​PHNA is proudly supported, sponsored and endorsed by the following organisations and business's.  We are extremely grateful to them for making our PH Patient Projects, Administration & Events possible through their generosity and involvement in our community for people living with pulmonary hypertension. See more under Our Team.
​PHNA proudly share educational information and resources with you from various sectors including PHAssociation.org our USA sister group and access other information from the following organisations and other reputable PH & associated organisations.