Key result
Elderly patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension experienced poorer survival, exhibited poorer treatment responses, and received combination drug regimens less frequently than young patients.
Why the study?
PAH has been increasingly diagnosed in elderly individuals, but few studies have investigated the features of elderly patients with PAH.
This review highlights that elderly patients with PAH have distinct clinical features, including diagnostic challenges, lower use of combination therapies, poorer treatment responses, and worse survival compared to younger patients.
Increasing PAH in elderly; leaves open need for age-specific diagnostic and management strategies.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was a disease predominantly affecting young females about 40 years ago; however, it has been increasingly diagnosed in elderly individuals. Few studies have investigated the features of elderly patients with PAH. This review provides an overview of the characteristics of elderly patients with PAH compared to young patients. The examination of the changing demographics of the population with PAH revealed that the mean age has increased over the years. In addition, the investigation into the diagnostic challenges in elderly patients with PAH revealed the difficulty in differentiating PAH from pulmonary hypertension secondary to diastolic heart failure. Moreover, it was noted that elderly patients underwent combination drug regimens less frequently and exhibited poorer treatment responses than young patients. Finally, it was found that elderly PAH patients experienced poorer survival than young patients. The differences among five survival prediction models and their applicability in predicting the prognosis of PAH patients are discussed.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
A 2021 study conducted a review in Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Advanced age vs. Young age was evaluated. Elderly patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension experienced poorer survival, exhibited poorer treatment responses, and received combination drug regimens less frequently than young patients.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: