Document Detail


Pulmonary hypertension in Latin America: pulmonary vascular disease: the global perspective.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20522583     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Latin America is here defined as all of the Americas south of the United States. In the setting of pulmonary hypertension, there are social inequalities and geophysical aspects in this region that account for a high prevalence of certain etiologies. This review aimed to analyze some of these factors. Data were collected from the existing literature. Information also was obtained from local tertiary-care centers to where patients with pulmonary hypertension generally are referred. Further, local experience and expertise was taken into consideration. Three etiologies of pulmonary hypertension were found to be the most prevalent: schistosomiasis (approximately 1 million affected people in Brazil), high altitude (particularly in the Andes), and congenital heart disease (late diagnosis of congenital left-to-right shunts leading to development of pulmonary vasculopathy). The diversity in terms of ancestries and races probably accounts for the differences in phenotype expression of pulmonary hypertension when a given region is considered (eg, schistosomiasis-, high-altitude-, or congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary hypertension). Governmental measures are needed to improve social and economic inequalities with an obvious impact on certain etiologies, such as schistosomiasis and congenital heart disease. Early diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and access to medication remain important challenges all over Latin America.
Authors:
Antonio Augusto Lopes; Angela Pontes Bandeira; Patricia Cortez Flores; Maria Virginia Tavares Santana
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Chest     Volume:  137     ISSN:  1931-3543     ISO Abbreviation:  Chest     Publication Date:  2010 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-06-04     Completed Date:  2010-08-04     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0231335     Medline TA:  Chest     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  78S-84S     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Paediatric Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Heart Institute (InCor), School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil. aablopes@usp.br
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Humans
Hypertension, Pulmonary / diagnosis,  epidemiology,  etiology*,  therapy
Latin America

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