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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) represents a particular subgroup of patients within the wide clinical spectrum of pulmonary hypertension (PH) increasing population, which is characterized by progressive elevation of pulmonary arterial pressures leading to right ventricular failure and death. The PH nomenclature and classification deserves always a particular section when scientists and clinicians intent to review this topic, and has been revised several times, most recently during the 2008 World Symposium of PH at Dana Point, California. I think this symposium clarified several issues in terms of the previous misuse and misinterpretation while using old abbreviations and nomenclature regarding the heterogeneous group of patients including under the clinical spectrum of PH. Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), in our days, means unexplained PH or, in better words, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). This entity has been subject of great interest among pulmonologists, cardiologists, rheumatologists, even some gastroenterologists/hepatologists, in terms of exploring more through clinical and basic (molecular biology) research nowadays. With the term PPH on board before the Venice and Dana Point meetings in 2003 and 2008, respectively, the term “secondary PH” started to growth in the clinical setting, encompassing very heterogeneous group of diseases including other intrinsic pulmonary vascular diseases similar to PPH as well as disorders that affected the pulmonary venous circulation and conditions that affected the pulmonary circulation by altering lung parenchyma by anatomical and physiological means.

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2009-11-27   |   697 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 8 Núm.3. Julio-Septiembre 2009 Pags. 267-268 Ann Hepatol 2009; 8(3)