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Updated: May 22, 2026

Left Atrial Stenosis Induced Pulmonary Venous Arterialization and Group 2 Pulmonary Hypertension in Rat
Published on: November 18, 2018
[HIV-related pulmonary arterial hypertension]
1Université Paris-Sud, faculté de médecine, Kremlin-Bicêtre, France. laurent.savale@abc.aphp.fr
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious complication in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Early screening and PAH-specific treatments improve survival rates for HIV-related PAH.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pulmonology
Context:
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, severe complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
- PAH can occur in both HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections, regardless of transmission route or immunosuppression.
- Increased survival in HIV patients due to HAART necessitates systematic PAH screening in those with unexplained dyspnea.
Purpose:
- To review the diagnosis, prevalence, and management of PAH in HIV-infected individuals.
- To highlight the role of right heart catheterization in definitive PAH diagnosis.
- To discuss the impact of HAART and PAH-specific therapies on patient outcomes.
Summary:
- PAH affects approximately 0.5% of HIV patients; HAART's direct benefit is unclear.
- PAH-specific therapies like epoprostenol and bosentan show efficacy in improving short- and long-term outcomes.
- Some patients achieve normalized pulmonary hemodynamics and functional class with targeted treatments.
Impact:
- The combination of HAART and PAH-specific therapies has improved the prognosis for HIV-related PAH.
- Survival rates for HIV-related PAH have increased to approximately 70% at 3 years.
- Further evaluation of novel PAH-specific therapies is warranted for this patient population.
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