Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society
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Pulmonary hypertension is a serious disease with a poor prognosis. Pulmonary hypertension is defined by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure over 25 mm Hg at rest or over 30 mm Hg during activity. According to the recent WHO classification from 2003 pulmonary hypertension can be categorized as pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary venous hypertension, hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertension from other causes. ⋯ In addition, the measurement of serum markers, such as brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), are diagnostically useful and of prognostic significance. Once the diagnosis and etiology of pulmonary hypertension have been established, several parameters can predict outcome in these patients: functional class, right ventricular function, pulmonary hemodynamics, and certain laboratory parameters. Also, exercise parameters such as walking distance, peak oxygen uptake or peak systolic blood pressure can reliable predict prognosis in these patients.