Background

We previously reported on the impact of the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic on the health of people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) [1].

Aims

To gain a more detailed picture of the impact of the pandemic over a longer period.

Methods

We asked PH patients, their partners, and parents about the impact of the pandemic from March 2020 to July 2021 on their lives.

Results

1084 responses were received, 68% from patients, 29% from people who lived with someone with PH and 3% from parents.

Patients: 92% thought shielding was the right thing to do. 58% reported their physical health had deteriorated. 43% had experienced new symptoms of anxiety, 22% experienced new symptoms of depression. 47% found access to their GP difficult but 87% found it easy to get support from their specialist PH centre. By July 2021, 98% had received both parts of their COVID-19 vaccination.

Those living with PH patients: 62% said they have felt extremely concerned about the person they lived with contracting COVID-19. 37% said they had to go to work during the pandemic and 60% of those said it caused them a lot of worry.

Parents: 78% said their child has found the pandemic difficult, 92% said they have found it difficult themselves. Support from their PH specialist centre was rated good by 76% and support from schools was rated good by 86%.

Discussion

The data from this survey will be used to try to ensure that comprehensive support measures are in place to meet the needs of PH patients and their kinship in any future health emergency.

1. The lived experiences of people shielding with pulmonary hypertension during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Armstrong IJ et al. ERJ 2021 58: PA3590