PP.04.35] PREVALENCE AND OPREDICTORS OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN A GENERAL COMMUNITY-BASED POPULATION

Abstract

Objective: The exact prevalence of PH in Italy is not known. Echocardiography is useful in the screening of patients with suspected PH by estimation of the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) by regurgitant tricuspid flow velocity evaluation, according to the simplified Bernoulli equation. Design and method: We conducted a retrospective study to estimate the prevalence of PH in 7005 patients who underwent echocardiography. Clinical data and echocardiographic results were used to determine etiological group of PH. PH causality was coded using criteria and subcategories of the ESC classifications. Results: The mean age of the study population was 57.1 ± 20.5 years with 55.3% male. The prevalence of intermediate probability of PH was 8.6%, with nearly equal distribution between men and women (51.3 vs 48.7%; P = NS) whereas the prevalence of high probability of PH was 4.3%, with slightly but not significant higher prevalence in female patients (43.2 vs 56.8; p = ns); PH is more prevalent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or left ventricle (LV) systolic dysfunction. PH prevalence increased with age. Also, sPAP was significantly associated with left atrial enlargement, left ventricular ejection fraction and, in addition, an increased sPAP was related to an enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle. Conclusions: PH as measured by echocardiography has low prevalence in our general population, but the estimates may be higher in specific subgroups. Analysis of the registry data could be an instrument for quality control and might help identify weak points in assessment and treatment of these patients.