Management of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients aged over 65 years
File(s)
Author(s)
Sitbon, Olivier
Howard, Luke
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Historically, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been considered a disease of young adults, but over the last three decades, the average age at diagnosis has increased, presenting clinicians with some unique challenges. Clinical symptoms of PAH, including shortness of breath and reduced functional capacity, are not specific for the disease and may be present in older patients because of their age or as a result of comorbid conditions. Eliminating other causes for these symptoms can delay PAH diagnosis and initiation of PAH-specific treatment compared with younger patients. Currently, there are no specific guidelines relating to PAH in older patients and existing guidelines for identifying patients at potential risk of PAH may not be appropriate for patients aged over 65 years. Even though older patients tend to be diagnosed with more advanced symptoms, and evidence suggests that they are less responsive to PAH-specific therapies, treatment is often less aggressive than in younger patients. Even after adjusting for age, survival rates remain disproportionately lower in the older vs. younger PAH populations. Specific guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of older patients with PAH are needed to improve care and outcomes in this growing population. This review aims to assess the challenges associated with diagnosing and managing PAH in older patients, based on literature searches, authors’ experiences, and expert opinions.
Date Issued
2019-12-17
Date Acceptance
2019-12-01
Citation
European Heart Journal Supplements, 2019, 21 (K), pp.29-36
ISSN
1520-765X
Publisher
European Society of Cardiology
Start Page
29
End Page
36
Journal / Book Title
European Heart Journal Supplements
Volume
21
Issue
K
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2019.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000514867100005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Cardiovascular System & Cardiology
Pulmonary arterial hypertension
Older patients
Diagnosis
Patient management
QUALITY-OF-LIFE
CHINESE PATIENTS
WEDGE PRESSURE
SURVIVAL
REGISTRY
EPIDEMIOLOGY
DIAGNOSIS
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-12-17