Expert review of respiratory medicine on pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare, often incurable lung disorder that affects individuals of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. In the recent 4th World Conference on Pulmonary Hypertension held by the WHO, PH was classified into five groups based on its causes, highlighting both the magnitude of conditions associated with PH and how little we know of the etiology in many cases.

The April issue of Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine (volume 5, issue 2) reviews the current management of PH and challenges to treatment. Aspects of all 5 WHO classified groups of PH are covered with a particular focus on Group 3 and PH linked to lung conditions. Advances in treatment methods and the potential benefit of gene therapy are also contemplated and should act as a useful tool for both basic and clinical scientists wishing to stay abreast of current findings and put them in context.

The Guest Editors, Dr Nicholas Morrell (Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK) and Dr Lewis J Rubin (University of California, San Diego, USA) have brought together 45 authors with one common objective - to provide the reader with state-of-the-art reviews and special reports of key developments in these areas. Written by those who have contributed substantively to our current understanding and approaches and it is their work that has brought us to our current level of recognition and management of pulmonary hypertension, and will pave the way for future developments for this life-threatening condition.

Dr Nicholas Morrell commented, “the last few years have witnessed a quantum leap in our understanding of the basic biology of pulmonary hypertension and the introduction of several new therapies based on these discoveries. New scientific insights, coupled with a greater understanding and awareness of the clinical phenotypes of patients with pulmonary hypertension have led to this area being one of the most rapidly expanding in the field of cardiopulmonary medicine.”

In summary, “we believe that this special focus issue provides the reader with a broad but in-depth overview of important areas of pulmonary vascular disease that are rapidly evolving and are, therefore, of special interest and worthy of attention”, Morrell went on to say.

Select articles are available free from www.expert-reviews.com/toc/ers/5/2 , to gain full-text access you will require a 30-day online trial, which is also free – simply e-mail [email protected] quoting ERSPR11.