Variable prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in patients with advanced interstitial pneumonia.
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary hypertension may occur in patients with interstitial pneumonia and is associated with increased mortality. We sought to determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in sub-groups of patients with interstitial pneumonia and to investigate possible associations between pulmonary vascular hemodynamics and pulmonary function.


METHODS
The presence or absence of pulmonary hypertension was assessed in 70 patients with advanced interstitial pneumonia who underwent right heart catheterization. The associations of pulmonary hypertension with clinical characteristics and pulmonary function tests were analyzed.


RESULTS
The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia was 29% vs 64% in patients with connective tissue disease-interstitial pneumonia (p = 0.013). African American patients had a significantly higher prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in the entire study population (81% vs 22%, p < 0.001) and in the idiopathic interstitial pneumonia group (70% vs 19%, p < 0.01). Regression analyses revealed no association between mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and forced vital capacity or mPAP and diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide in the entire cohort or in sub-groups of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
African American patients and patients with connective tissue disease-interstitial pneumonia had a high prevalence of pulmonary hypertension. Non-African American patients with advanced idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) had a low prevalence of pulmonary hypertension.
Todd
Nevins W
NW
Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. ntodd@medicine.umaryland.edu
Lavania
Sachin
S
Park
Myung H
MH
Iacono
Aldo T
AT
Franks
Teri J
TJ
Galvin
Jeffrey R
JR
Jeudy
Jean
J
Britt
Edward J
EJ
Luzina
Irina G
IG
Hasday
Jeffrey D
JD
Atamas
Sergei P
SP
D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index