Connective tissue disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension
Vivek Thakkar1, Edmund M T Lau2
1Department of Rheumatology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia; South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Liverpool, Australia; Ingham Institute, Liverpool, Australia.
Insights
Advances in assessing and managing connective tissue disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH) have improved patient outcomes. This study focuses on these crucial developments in treating this severe condition.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rheumatology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Connective tissue disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH) is a lethal condition with significant impact.
- Systemic sclerosis is the primary cause of CTD-PAH, followed by other autoimmune diseases.
- Clinical registries provide essential data on disease burden, risk factors, and treatment trends in CTD-PAH.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in the assessment and management of CTD-PAH.
- To highlight improvements in treatment outcomes for this severe disease.
- To focus on the evolution of CTD-PAH care over the past two decades.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical registries and published literature.
- Analysis of trends in disease classification and diagnostic criteria.
- Evaluation of evidence-based therapeutic strategies and specialized care centers.
Main Results:
- Significant progress in disease classification and diagnostic accuracy.
- Emergence of effective, evidence-based therapies, including combination treatments.
- Improved patient outcomes attributed to enhanced management strategies and specialized PAH centers.
Conclusions:
- Recent advances have substantially improved the outlook for patients with CTD-PAH.
- Integrated care approaches, including early diagnosis and targeted therapies, are key to better outcomes.
- Continued research and specialized centers are vital for advancing CTD-PAH treatment.
Abstract:
Over the past two decades, there have been several advances in the assessment and management of connective tissue disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH) that improved outcomes of the treatment of this lethal disease, and this will be the focus of this study. Systemic sclerosis is the leading cause of CTD-PAH, followed by systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, idiopathic inflammatory myositis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren's syndrome. Clinical registries have been invaluable in informing about the burden of disease, risk and prognostic factors, and temporal trends with respect to treatment and outcome in CTD-PAH. The major advances have centered on improved disease classification and diagnostic criteria, screening and early diagnosis, the emergence of evidence-based therapies including combination goal-orientated treatment strategies, and the establishment of centers with expertise in PAH.
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