Abstract
Background
Current pulmonary hypertension (PH) guidelines stratify the risk of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) using a multiparametric approach. Anyway, the role of unmodifiable risk factors is not taken into account.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of unmodifiable risk factors (age, gender, PAH aetiology) in PAH risk stratification using the recently proposed simplified risk table and to test if these factors influence the response to PAH-specific treatment.
Methods
All patients with PAH referred to a single centre were included from 2003 to 2017. We applied a simplified risk assessment strategy using the following criteria: WHO functional class, 6-min walking distance, right atrial pressure or brain natriuretic peptide plasma levels and cardiac index (CI) or mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2). The last 2 criteria were based on which parameter was available; if both were available the worst was chosen. Risk strata were defined as: Low risk= at least 3 low risk and no high-risk criteria; High risk= at least 2 high risk criteria including CI or SvO2; Intermediate risk= definitions of low or high risk not fulfilled. Then we performed multivariate Cox analysis to evaluate what are the independent predictors of survival (age, gender, PAH aetiology together with the recently proposed simplified PAH risk table) and we tested if these factors influence the response to PAH specific therapy comparing the % improvement of hemodynamic parameters from baseline to 3–4 months after starting treatment. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test was used for comparisons.
Results
Six hundreds and twenty-one treatment-naïve patients were enrolled. Age [HR (95% CI) = 1.022 (1.014–1.030); p-value <0.001], male gender [HR (95% CI) = 1.881 (1.479–2.392); p-value <0.001] and connective tissue disease (CTD)-PAH aetiology [HR (95% CI)= 2.278 (1.733–2.995); p-value <0.001] were all independent predictors of prognosis in patients with PAH together with the recently validated simplified PAH risk table [HR (95% CI) = 2.161 (1.783–2.618); p-value <0.001] but they didn't significantly influence the response to PAH specific treatment as shown in the Figure.
Figure 1
Conclusions
Age, gender and CTD-PAH aetiology significantly influence prognosis together with the recently validated simplified PAH risk table but don't significantly influence the response to PAH-specific treatment.
Acknowledgement/Funding
None
Additional role of echocardiogram in pulmonary arterial hypertension risk stratification according to current ESC/ERS guidelines