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Patient Stories |
THE ACTELION ANNUAL REPORT 2003 |
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| Walter Zimmermann, |
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a 47-year-old clerk from Switzerland, is able to work in his garden again. For a long time that wasn't possible. It all began subtly and then grew steadily worse. Walter started feeling short of breath or dizzy just doing everyday tasks.
"After a single flight of stairs, I was gasping for breath," he explained. "I even needed a rest after tying my shoes. I simply couldn't get enough air, and that was a frightening feeling."
After intensive examinations, his doctor discovered that the blood pressure in his lungs was four times higher than normal, which caused the heart to work much harder ? typical symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Since Walter has been on Tracleer®, his condition has improved. There is no problem climbing the steps to his studio or tending to his garden. He is able to travel and go on sightseeing strolls with his wife.
"I have learned to take seemingly harmless symptoms such as being short of breath very seriously," he said. "It's better to see a doctor and get a check-up."
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| Sam Khan, |
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a 37-year-old Head of Production at a confectionary factory in London, likes going to the gym. But in 1991 she became so short of breath that she had to stop working out. Incorrectly diagnosed and treated as an asthmatic, she grew increasingly more breathless and tired. Sam decided to change doctors and was finally sent to the hospital for a chest X-ray.
“It took almost four years until I was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH),” she said. “The physicians explained that it was a life-threatening illness for which there was no real therapy, and that the mean survival time was about 10 years.”
A specialist put her on a treatment with intravenous prostacyclin. Suffering constantly from line infections, she had to be hospitalized often.
“When I heard about the new therapy of Tracleer®, I was full of hope – especially since it was an oral treatment.”
After taking Tracleer®, her condition has improved significantly. Sam no longer needs to worry about line infections due to the use of pumps or deal with the inconvenience of nebulizers to inhale medications.
“Today, I can work full-time again and go back to the gym. Basically, I can do the same things that healthy people do.”
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