International Journal of COPD (Jun 2020)

Updated Perspectives on Pulmonary Hypertension in COPD

  • Blanco I,
  • Tura-Ceide O,
  • Peinado VI,
  • Barberà JA

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 1315 – 1324

Abstract

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Isabel Blanco,1,2 Olga Tura-Ceide,1,2 Victor Ivo Peinado,1,2 Joan Albert Barberà1,2 1Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Hospital Clínic-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 2Biomedical Research Networking Center on Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Madrid, SpainCorrespondence: Joan Albert BarberàDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, Barcelona 08036, SpainTel +34-9322757Email [email protected]: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent and important complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is associated with worse clinical courses with more frequent exacerbation episodes, shorter survival, and greater need of health resources. PH is usually of moderate severity and progresses slowly, without altering right ventricular function in the majority of cases. Nevertheless, a reduced subgroup of patients may present disproportionate PH, with pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) largely exceeding the severity of respiratory impairment. These patients may represent a group with an exaggerated vascular impairment (pulmonary vascular phenotype) to factors that induce PH in COPD or be patients in whom idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) coexist. The present review addresses the current definition and classification of PH in COPD, the distinction among the different phenotypes of pulmonary vascular disease that might present in COPD patients, and the therapeutic approach to PH in COPD based on the available scientific evidence.Keywords: chronic lung disease, pulmonary circulation, vascular remodeling, pulmonary arterial pressure

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