Approach to pulmonary hypertension

Until recently, many physicians considered pulmonary hypertension a rare and esoteric condition that is difficult to diagnose and nearly impossible to treat. However, pulmonary hypertension can complicate a variety of relatively common diseases and, with the development of new and effective therapies, there is a need for greater awareness of this condition. Pulmonary hypertension should be considered when patients present with unexplained shortness of breath, chest pain, or syncope. The usual delay of 1 to 2 years between onset of symptoms and diagnosis underscores the importance of considering pulmonary hypertension in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with atypical cardiorespiratory symptoms.