title: Echocardiographic screening for pulmonary arterial hypertension in HIV-positive patients.
abstract: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with an increased risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Upon the screening of 220 asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals by echocardiography, we detected and confirmed HIV-associated PAH in 0.45 % of cases. Mild elevations of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure most probably owing to left ventricular diastolic dysfunction were found in 7.7 % of cases, without progress after 2 years. We suggest that the screening of asymptomatic HIV-positive patients for PAH should not be performed.
authors.affiliation: Klinik III für Innere Medizin, Herzzentrum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany, henrik.ten-freyhaus@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: ten Freyhaus
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kümmerle
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wyen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fätkenheuer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rosenkranz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult