부산대학교 도서관

Objectives While idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension ( PAH) is a rare disease, it is seen more frequently in patients with HIV infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension ( PH) in patients with HIV infection by echocardiographic screening. Methods Echocardiography and N-terminal of the prohormone brain natriuretic peptide measurement were used to examine the prevalence of PH prospectively in HIV-positive patients ( n = 374) during routine follow-up visits for HIV disease. Results In echocardiographic screening, PH was detected in a total of 23 of 374 HIV-infected patients (6.1%). Of these, three patients (13%) presented with symptoms of dyspnoea and fatigue, and diagnosis of PAH was confirmed by right heart catheterization. Patients with systolic pulmonary artery pressure ( sPAP) > 30 mmHg were more likely to be female, to have a history of injecting drug use and to originate from high-prevalence countries ( HPCs). Conclusions Echocardiographic screening detected PH in a substantial proportion of HIV-positive patients. Female gender, a history of injecting drug use and HPC origin were associated with a higher prevalence of HIV-associated PH. The relevance and long-term outcome of these findings need to be validated in follow-up studies, which are ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]