Underlying aetiology of pulmonary hypertension in 191 patients: A single centre experience

Background and objective: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and annual incidence, as well as the aetiology of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in a PHT clinic, so as to assist in future assessments of the economic burden of PHT. Methods: The medical records for all new cases of PHT, defined as systolic pulmonary artery pressure >45 mm Hg as measured by Doppler echocardiography, or as mean pulmonary artery pressure >25 mm Hg measured at cardiac catheterization, between January 1998 and December 2005, were reviewed. The aetiology of the PHT was recorded and separate mean annual incidences were calculated. Results: The study population included 191 patients ranging in age from 16 to 90 years. Respiratory disorders were the leading aetiology for PHT, accounting for 31% of cases, followed by collagen vascular diseases (19%), idiopathic (12%), haemodialysis (13%), chronic thromboembolism (8%), haematological diseases (7%), liver cirrhosis (6%) and hypoventilation syndrome (4%). The mean annual incidence of PHT was 15.9 new cases per million citizens per year, with a mean annual incidence due to respiratory disease of 4.82 (COPD, 3.83), collagen vascular disease 3.08, haemodialysis 2.08, idiopathic 1.92, chronic thromboembolism 1.33, haematological disease 1.17, liver disease 0.92 and hypoventilation syndrome 0.58. The mean annual incidence of PAH and chronic thromboembolic PHT that fitted the guidelines for therapy was 8.58 cases per year per million citizens. Conclusion: The current data may help in estimating the economic burden of PHT.