Eisenmenger’s syndrome history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abushouk, MD [2]

Overview

Patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome pass through the following stages: An underlying heart defect that initially allows a left-to-right shunt between the left and right sides of the heart, then the development of pulmonary hypertension, then polycythemia, an increase in the number of red blood cells, and finally, a reversal of the left-to-right shunt so that there is a right-to-left shunt. The common symptoms of Eisenmenger’s syndrome include dyspnea, syncope, hemoptysis, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, and dyspnea.

History and Symptoms

Patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome pass through the following stages^[1]:

An underlying heart defect that initially allows a left-to-right shunt between the left and right sides of the heart
The development of pulmonary hypertension
Polycythemia, an increase in the number of red blood cells
Finally, a reversal of the left-to-right shunt so that there is a right-to-left shunt

Therefore, they may present with a history of symptoms for each of these stages.

Common symptoms of Eisenmenger’s syndrome include^[2]:

Less common symptoms of Eisenmenger’s syndrome include^[3]:

References

Overview