Pulmonary Hypertension Deaths Increase in Past Decade

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an uncommon but progressive condition. Much of what we know about PH comes from specialized disease registries.  PH occurs when the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, which carry oxygen and blood from the heart to the lungs, is much higher than normal. 

The decline in death rates associated with PH among males from 1980 to 2005 has reversed and now shows a significant increasing trend. Similarly, the death rates for women with PH have continued to significantly increase during the past decade, according to new research in the April 3rd edition of  Chest Journal.  However, there have been significant declines in PH-associated mortality rates for those with pulmonary embolism and emphysema.

The article, “Pulmonary Hypertension Surveillance — United States, 2001–2010,” authored by Mary G. George, Linda J. Schieb, Carma Ayala, Shaleah Levant, and Anjali Talwalkar of the National Center for Health Statistics shows continued surveillance of PH helps us understand and address evolving trends in hospitalization and mortality associated with PH and for PH-associated conditions, especially for sex, age, and race/ethnicity disparities.

The study is based on analyzed mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System and data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey between 2001 and 2010.

http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1857526

http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_pulmonary_hypertension.htm