Pulmonary arterial hypertension in connective tissue diseases. 2011

Shunji Yoshida
Section of Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan. yoshida@fujita-hu.ac.jp

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) was found to be the primary cause of death in mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). This led to investigation of the prevalence of PH in other connective tissue diseases (CTD). In 1998, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's MCTD Research Committee revealed complication of PH diagnosed by physicians in 5.02% MCTD patients, 0.90% systemic lupus erythematosus patients, 2.64% systemic sclerosis patients, and 0.56% polymyositis/dermatomyositis patients. These results have been supported by a similar survey performed in North America. As quite a few rheumatologists find right heart catheterization difficult to perform, doppler echocardiography is frequently used for screening and diagnosing PH. The MCTD Research Committee set the revised criteria for MCTD-PH, in which the threshold of estimated pulmonary arterial systolic pressure value for diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is set at 36 mmHg, as proposed by the European Society of Cardiology. Right heart catheterization is strongly recommended for commencing the treatment. Since PH due to thromboembolism can potentially be cured surgically, lung perfusion scintigraphy should be performed for all patients diagnosed with PH. Most CTD-PH are PAH, and since idiopathic PAH (IPAH) patients sometimes have immune disorders, treatment for IPAH may be applicable to CTD-PH. The greatest difference between the treatment strategy for CTD-PH and IPAH is the usage of corticosteroids and other immunosuppressants. The MCTD Research Committee updated its therapeutic guidelines for MCTD-PH in 2011. Validation of these guidelines is also needed.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D006976 Hypertension, Pulmonary Increased VASCULAR RESISTANCE in the PULMONARY CIRCULATION, usually secondary to HEART DISEASES or LUNG DISEASES. Pulmonary Hypertension
D003240 Connective Tissue Diseases A heterogeneous group of disorders, some hereditary, others acquired, characterized by abnormal structure or function of one or more of the elements of connective tissue, i.e., collagen, elastin, or the mucopolysaccharides. Connective Tissue Disease,Disease, Connective Tissue,Diseases, Connective Tissue
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D065627 Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Familial or idiopathic hypertension in the PULMONARY CIRCULATION which is not secondary to other disease. Heritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension,Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension,Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension,Pph1 With Hht,Primary Pulmonary Hypertension,Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary, 1,Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary, 1, With Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia,Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary, Dexfenfluramine-Associated,Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary, Fenfluramine-Associated,Hypertension, Idiopathic Pulmonary,Hypertension, Primary Pulmonary,Pulmonary Hypertension, Idiopathic,Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary

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