What is pulmonary arterial hypertension?

In normal circumstances, resting pulmonary artery systolic pressure ranges from 18 to 20 mmHg.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is defined clinically as a mean pulmonary artery pressure >25 mmHg at rest or >30 mmHg with exercise with a pulmonary capillary wedge pressure less than 15 mmHg as measured by right heart catheterization.

Elevations in pulmonary artery pressure occur in a wide variety of pulmonary, cardiac and systemic diseases.

Symptoms of pulmonary hypertension are related to right ventricular failure or cor pulmonale and include dyspnea, fatique, syncope, lower extremity edema, and atypical chest pain.

Patients may have exertional breathless progressing to exertional syncope or chest pain.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension can be classified under Venice classification with 5 categories:

Group 1: Pulmonary arterial hypertension

Group 2: Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with left heart disease

Group 3: Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with lung disease or hypoxemia

Group 4: Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with chronic thrombotic or embolic disease

Group 5: Miscellaneous
What is pulmonary arterial hypertension?