HIV-related pulmonary arterial hypertension: A significant cause of mortality and morbidity in HIV/AIDS

Abstract

With prolonged survival of HIV-infected patients, non-infectious complications of HIV/AIDS are now on the rise. HIV-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (HIV-PAH) represents one such disease, and has a very poor prognosis. Although HIV-PAH has low prevalence, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of non-infectious complications following HIV infection is not fully understood, and the role that HIV-induced immunosuppression plays in the development of these complications is also not known. Presently, despite having scanty evidence on the management modalities of HIV-PAH, evidence extrapolated from idiopathic pulmonary hypertension is being utilized to manage some of these patients. A case of a 41-year-old female with HIV disease and severe pulmonary hypertension is presented here.

Keywords

• hiv-related pulmonary artery hypertension (hiv-pah)
• vascular complications
• non- infectious complications