Various factors contribute to death in patients with different types of pulmonary hypertension: A retrospective pilot study from a single tertiary center

Junichi Nakamura, Ichizo Tsujino*, Hiroshi Ohira, Toshitaka Nakaya, Ayako Sugimoto, Takahiro Sato, Taku Watanabe, Masaru Suzuki, Masaru Kato, Isao Yokota, Satoshi Konno

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: A few studies have focused on the cause of death from different types of pulmonary hypertension (PH). This study aimed to systematically analyze the primary and secondary causes of death and compare the profiles between different PH groups. Methods: The contribution of PH to death was assessed in precapillary PH (i.e., group 1 [pulmonary arterial hypertension], group 3 [PH associated with lung disease], and group 4 [chronic thromboembolic PH]) using specific criteria; death was classified into three categories: PH death (death due to PH only), PH-related death, and PH-unrelated death. Disorders other than PH that contributed to death were analyzed, and mortality profiles were compared between groups. Results: Eighty deceased patients with PH were examined (group 1, n = 28; group 3, n = 39; and group 4, n = 13). The contribution of PH to death was significantly different between the three groups. “PH death” was most common in group 1 (61%), “PH-related death” in group 3 (56%), and “PH-related death” and “PH-unrelated death” in group 4 (38% for both). The highest contributing factor to death other than PH was respiratory failure in group 3 and malignant disease in group 4. Conclusions: Significant variations in the causes of death were observed in groups 1, 3, and 4 PH patients. In addition to PH, respiratory failure and malignant disease significantly contributed to death in group 3 and group 4 PH, respectively. Understanding the precise death cause may be important in achieving better outcomes in PH patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)647-657
Number of pages11
JournalRespiratory Investigation
Volume60
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022/09

Keywords

  • Cancer
  • Respiratory failure
  • Right heart failure
  • Sudden death

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

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