[Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension]

Abstract

Introduction: A joint Task Force of the ESC and of the ERS has developed guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH) to provide updated information on the management of patients with this condition.

State of the art: The term pulmonary hypertension (PH) describes a group of devastating and life-limiting diseases, defined by mean pulmonary artery pressure >25 mmHg at rest. The diagnosis of PH requires a series of investigations intended to confirm the diagnosis, clarify the clinical group and the specific aetiology and an algorithm for this is proposed. Several drugs are currently approved to try to correct endothelial dysfunction. They lead to a significant improvement in the prognosis of patients who are in NYHA functional class II, III or IV. The evaluation of the severity of PH has a pivotal role in the choice of initial treatment and evaluation of the response to therapy in individual patients.

Perspective: These guidelines should be widely disseminated and implemented in order to improve the management of patients with PH.

Conclusion: These guidelines summarise recent advances in the understanding and management of PH.