Long-term data from the Swiss pulmonary hypertension registry

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Registries are crucial for real-world epidemiological studies of diverse pulmonary hypertension (PH) groups.
• The Swiss PH registry has collected data since 1998.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present long-term data from the Swiss PH registry spanning 1998-2012.
• To analyze trends in patient demographics, hemodynamics, and treatment over time.

Main Methods:

• PH patients were classified into five groups and registered with informed consent.
• Data collected included NYHA class, 6-minute walk distance, hemodynamics, and therapy.
• Patient data were stratified by diagnosis time: prevalent before 2000 and incident during 2000-2004, 2005-2008, and 2009-2012.

Main Results:

• The registry included 996 PH patients: 549 PAH, 36 PH-left heart disease, 127 PH-lung disease, 249 CTEPH, and 35 miscellaneous.
• Over time, patient age and BMI increased, while hemodynamic severity decreased.
• Event-free survival improved for PAH and CTEPH patients diagnosed since 2008, with increased use of targeted therapies.

Conclusions:

• Since 2000, incident Swiss PH patients were older, had better hemodynamics, and received more PAH target therapies.
• Survival rates have improved for PAH and CTEPH patients diagnosed in more recent periods.