Basic aspects of pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection: what has been achieved and what remains to be achieved?

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is characterized by high morbidity and is a significant threat to human health, increasing global mortality. The number of people living with HIV infection is estimated by the United Nations Joint Program on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (UNAIDS) to be 39 million (33.1-45.7 million) in 2022. With the introduction of highly effective antiretroviral therapy (cART) into clinical practice and the resulting increase in life expectancy in this cohort of patients, HIV-associated complications have come to the forefront, among which the most severe is pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary artery pressure, leading to the development of right ventricular failure. Subsequently, it became evident that this pathology can occur at all stages of HIV infection and, apparently, has no clear relationship with the degree of immunodeficiency, and is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with LAH-HIV, and therefore requires separate, close attention. This article provides an overview covering the basic pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of HIV-associated LAH (LAHHIV), emphasizing the challenges encountered at each stage. The review also considers current aspects aimed at studying LAH in patients with HIV, including new experimental drug therapies that take into account the interaction of different regimens with LAH-specific drugs.