Pulmonary hypertension associated with lung diseases

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic lung disease (CLD) is both common and underrecognised. The presence of PH in the setting of lung disease has been consistently shown to be associated with worse outcomes. Recent epidemiological studies have advanced understanding of the heterogeneity of this patient population and shown that defining both the specific type of CLD as well as the severity of PH (i.e. deeper phenotyping) is necessary to inform natural history and prognosis. A systematic diagnostic approach to screening and confirmation of suspected PH in CLD is recommended. Numerous uncontrolled studies and one phase 3 randomised, controlled trial have suggested a benefit in treating PH in some patients with CLD, specifically those with fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, other studies in diseases such as COPD-PH showed adverse outcomes with some therapies. Given the expanding list of approved pharmacological treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension, developing a treatment algorithm for specific phenotypes of CLD-PH is required. This article will summarise existing data in COPD, ILD and other chronic lung diseases, and provide recommendations for classification of CLD-PH and approach to the diagnosis and management of these challenging patients.