Paul's drug treatment comes out of the blue

At just 30 years old, Paul was severely worried about his overall health, so he sought help for the condition, which was leaving him heavily fatigued after the most basic of tasks. After visiting the doctor in his home town of Bradford, Paul was subjected to a string of tests to find out the root cause of his problem.

"It was a worrying time," said Paul, of Low Moor, a payroll manager. "When the results came back, I was shocked. I'd been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension – a rare, incurable lung condition affecting 4,000 people nationally. It was not triggered by anything. It's just basically bad luck. I must have walked under a few ladders or something."

Happy to discover the condition was treatable, Paul was then left bemused by one of the medications prescribed to him – Viagra.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises far above normal levels. At the same time as the pressure rises, the walls of the blood vessels (pulmonary arteries) become thicker. PH can occur with or without an identifiable or known cause.

Viagra was developed initially to treat patients who had heart disease, such as angina. During the early clinical trials, an unexpected "side-effect" was discovered – the medicine could improve and maintain a man's erection; hence why Viagra tablets are most commonly known for their use in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (impotence)

As well as taking the well-known sexual stimulant alongside drugs Bosentan and Warfarin, Paul regularly visits the Royal Sheffield Hallamshire for on-going screening and monitoring.

"Fortunately, the condition seems to have stabilised and I've noticed a real improvement in the quality of my life," added Paul, who spends much of his spare time raising awareness for PH through the blue lips campaign – blue lips are one of the signs of the condition.

His wife, Suzy, also competes in triathlons, with the money she raises going towards the worthy cause.

The national charity, PHA-UK, was founded by Iain Armstrong and Kay Yeowart 10 years ago. Iain is the Nurse Consultant in Pulmonary Vascular Medicine at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and was one of the main driving forces in the formation of the association and the development of the National Specialist PH Nurses Forum for the UK.

Kay, trustee and secretary of PHA-UK, joined forces with Iain after her son was diagnosed with PH.

PHA-UK organises family weekends annually providing an opportunity for children with PH and their families to meet other people undergoing similar experiences.

In June, it is holding the biggest family day to mark the 10th anniversary, at Center Parcs, in Elveden, Suffolk, when 90 families affected by PH are expected to attend.

For more information, visit www.phassociation.uk.com

RECORD BID

This spring sees the launch of the latest stage of an international campaign initiated and led by the Rotherham-based National patient support charity, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association UK (PHA-UK), to raise awareness of the incurable lung condition.

From May 15, 29 Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) patient groups from Auckland to Alabama will join forces with the 2,000-member British charity, PHA-UK, to try to get more than 40,000 people to provide a blue lip print and set a new Guinness world record.