[Guidelines for the management of pulmonary hypertension patients]

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) was until recently an obscure pathology which frequently went unidentified as it lacked a precise diagnostic strategy. Recent years have seen advances in the knowledge of the pathogenesis and mechanisms of vascular lesion of PH. This has led to the scientific community's growing interest in this area, an interest manifested in appreciable progress in the pathology's clinical characterisation, diagnostic strategies and the development of effective drugs. All of this together has been fundamental in changing the previously unfavourable prognosis of this disease. This evolution implies the need to rationalise the use of available resources through organisation of healthcare services, defining the role of each level of care, and developing norms for good clinical management practices in keeping with best medical practice guidelines. These twin aspects have attracted the interest of the scientific community, as shown by the wealth of literature, and have led healthcare authorities to introduce regulatory mechanisms. In order to improve clinical practice, the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Study Group (NEDVP) of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (SPMI), the Pulmonary Hypertension Study Group (GEHTP) of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology and the boards of the Portuguese Societies of Pulmonology and Paediatric Cardiology created an interdisciplinary working group. The group's remit was to draft this document, "Guidelines for the management of pulmonary hypertension patients", based on a review of the literature and the authors' clinical expertise. These guidelines aim to present all the relevant evidence on the diagnostic and treatment strategy of PH and the definition of requirements for referral centres. The organisation of care is fundamental for an appropriate and rational use of the available resources and for the better care of the patient.