Severe pulmonary hypertension in COPD (pulmonary vascular resistance >5 wood units) is characterized by severe dyspnea, hypoxemia, poor prognosis, and severe remodeling of small pulmonary arterioles.
This review highlights the clinical presentation and histopathological evidence of severe pulmonary hypertension in patients with COPD, emphasizing the severe remodeling of small pulmonary arterioles.
Severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently defined by an elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure and strongly elevated pulmonary vascular resistance >5 wood units. Clinically, these patients show a male predominance, and usually present with very severe dyspnea, severe hypoxemia, strongly decreased exercise capacity and poor prognosis, even though the clinical picture is frequently associated with less severe airflow obstruction. Explanted lung samples of patients with COPD and severe PH show severe remodeling of small pulmonary arterioles, predominantly in the intima and media of the vessels. In this concise review, we discuss the clinical and histopathological evidence of severe PH in COPD.
Zeder et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Severe pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Severe pulmonary hypertension in COPD (pulmonary vascular resistance >5 wood units) is characterized by severe dyspnea, hypoxemia, poor prognosis, and severe remodeling of small pulmonary arterioles.