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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a lethal illness that should be on the differential diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension seen on an echocardiogram. To determine the burden of PAH, researchers from the Global Burden of Disease Group compiled data from 1990 to 2021 (from 204 countries and territories) and statistically adjusted for data gaps. The PAH case definition required a physician's diagnosis based on right-heart catheterization or echocardiography.
The results were as follows:
PAH affected 192,000 people globally in 2021, with a prevalence of 2.3 cases per 100,000. Global PAH-related mortality was 22,000 in 2021 (0.3 per 100,000 people).
Increasing prevalence with age was noted, despite historical observations that PAH is predomin…