title: Borderline pulmonary pressures in scleroderma - a 'pre-pulmonary arterial hypertension' condition?
abstract: Patients with systemic sclerosis may develop borderline pulmonary arterial pressure. The clinical relevance of this condition is not always clear. Reported data support the evidence that this subgroup may represent an intermediate stage between normal pulmonary arterial pressure and manifest pulmonary arterial hypertension, a serious complication in scleroderma. Recognizing the clinical relevance of borderline pulmonary arterial pressure increase in scleroderma patients, future studies should aim for clear evidence for diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms for this population.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Graz, Graz, 8036, Austria. gabor.kovacs@klinikum-graz.at.|Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research, Graz, 8010, Austria. gabor.kovacs@klinikum-graz.at.
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kovacs
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Graz, Graz, 8036, Austria. gabor.kovacs@klinikum-graz.at.|Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research, Graz, 8010, Austria. gabor.kovacs@klinikum-graz.at.
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olschewski
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents