Pulmonary hypertension in sarcoidosis
Pulmonary hypertension is a well described complication associated with an increased risk of mortality (1).
- the incidence in a large Japanese study has been estimated to be around 5% (1)
- it is elevated in 6 to 23% of patients at rest and in 43% with exertion (2)
The mechanism for pulmonary hypertension can be due to
- fibrosis - the most common mechanism which results in obliteration of the pulmonary vessels
- external compression from the enlarged lymphnodes
- granulomatous infiltration of the pulmonary arterioles
Sildenafil has been reported to significantly improve the haemodynamic parameters but the effectiveness of other pulmonary vasodilator therapy is currently unknown (1)
Reference:
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