An update on the evaluation and management of pulmonary hypertension in scleroderma.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with scleroderma (SScPAH) is a debilitating, highly lethal condition that responds to an array of therapies. Quality of life and prognosis are substantially improved by treatment, and early diagnosis and treatment are associated with improved outcomes. There are serious limitations to current screening programs. Many more questions need to be addressed. Why is PAH so common in SSc? Why is the tolerance of pulmonary hypertension so poor in scleroderma? What are the best measures of response to therapy in SSc patients with PAH? Should we use different parameters in prognostic scores in SScPAH? Why is postcapillary pulmonary hypertension so common in SSc? How do we reliably differentiate lung disease-associated pulmonary hypertension from PAH? The aim of this review is to summarize the main areas of progress over the past decade and to look to the challenges for the next decade.
Department of Cardiology, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, England, UK. gerry.coghlan@nhs.net
John G
JG
Coghlan
Benjamin
B
Schreiber
Benjamin
B
Schrieber
D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications*