Incidence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Taiwan

The diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is complex, and the modality of treatment is surgery and targeted medication. Patients with CTEPH could have a poor prognosis if their diagnosis or treatment is delayed. The incidence of CTEPH and its clinical features are largely unknown in Taiwan, even among other Asian populations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the geodemographics of CTEPH in Taiwan and describe the practical management and treatment outcomes in patients with CTEPH.

This study retrospectively enrolled patients in the Taiwan cohort - Registry of CTEPH. The study was conducted over 2 years inclusive of follow-up. The enrolment criteria depended on the current global guideline.

From January 2018 to March 2020, 107 CTEPH patients enrolled in the Taiwan registry. All patients received right heart catheterisation examinations. The overall median age was 61.4 ± 16.5 years, and the cohort was dominated by female patients (75/107). Risk factors included pulmonary embolism (81.3%), deep vein thrombosis (22.4%), and previous major surgery (20.6%). Twenty-one (19.6%) patients underwent pulmonary endarterectomy operation alone, and 38 (35.5%) patients underwent balloon pulmonary angioplasty alone.

To our knowledge, this is the first national cohort study that demonstrated the raw CTEPH incidence in Taiwan. It also showed the CTEPH incidence between male and female patients in the Asian population was different from the Caucasian population.