Sesja IV - Varia - sesja interdyscyplinarna
Pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is defined by mean pulmonary artery pressure. There are many diseases which can lead to pulmonary hypertension. With regard to current clinical classification, pulmonary hypertension is divided into five classes: 1) pulmonary arterial hypertension, 2) pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart diseases, 3) pulmonary hypertension associated with lung respiratory diseases and/or hypoxia, 4) pulmonary hypertension due to chronic thrombotic and/or embolic disease, 5) miscellaneous. The diagnostic approach to pulmonary hypertension requires four stages of investigations aimed at confirming the clinical suspicion of pulmonary hypertension, to detect pulmonary hypertension, to clarify the clinical class and to evaluate the functional and haemodynamic impairment. Treatment of pulmonary hypertension is closely related to the clinical classification. Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension have poor prognosis. In other clinical classes the severity of pulmonary hypertension is a significant prognostic factor.