BACKGROUND
Pulmonary hypertension is a common complication of
interstitial lung disease. This study was conducted to retrospectively analyze the incidence of
pulmonary hypertension among
interstitial lung disease patients and the correlation between systolic pulmonary artery pressure (
PASP) and pulmonary functions. We also intended to investigate whether
antinuclear antibody (ANA) could be an effective
indicator of
pulmonary hypertension. MATERIAL AND METHODS There were 182 patients diagnosed with
interstitial lung disease through high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).
Pulmonary hypertension was defined as an increase of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAPm) ≥25 mmHg (~
PASP ≥40 mmHg) at rest. Severe
pulmonary hypertension was defined as PAPm ≥35 mmHg. There were 104 cases including in this study. There were 67 cases from the ANA positive (ANA+) group and 37 cases from the ANA negative (ANA-) group. All study patients had pulmonary function tests, which included the measurements of maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), residual volume (RV), total lung capacity (TLC), forced expiratory volume (FVC), vital capacity (VC), and diffusing capacity of the lungs for
carbon monoxide (DLCO). RESULTS The
pulmonary hypertension incidence in the study cohort was 25%, and the severe
pulmonary hypertension incidence was 6.48%. The incidence of
pulmonary hypertension in ANA+ cases was 22.22%. The incidence of
pulmonary hypertension in the ANA- cases was 32.14%. The lung function test results showed moderate relationships between DLCO, FVC%, VC%, and
PASP; no relationship between MVV, FEV1/FVC%, RV/TLC, and
PASP; minimum relationship between FVC%, VC%, and
PASP in the ANA+ group; and moderate relationship between FVC%, VC%, and
PASP in the ANA- group. CONCLUSIONS
Pulmonary hypertension occurred in 25% of the 182
interstitial lung disease patients and was negatively associated with deteriorated lung functions (specifically VC%, FVC%, and DLCO parameters). ANA level was not associated with the prognosis of
pulmonary hypertension of patients with
interstitial lung disease, and it did not significantly affect the correlation between
PASP and pulmonary functions. Thus, ANA level did not seem to be a necessary
indicator of
pulmonary hypertension, and a more effective treatment method for
pulmonary hypertension of patients with
interstitial lung disease is urgently needed.