The Global Burden of Disease Study found that 192,000 cases of pulmonary hypertension, an increase in pressure in the pulmonary circulation, were registered worldwide in 2021. The highest age-standardized prevalence of pulmonary hypertension was in the 75–79-year-old group, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine reports .
According to the World Health Organization classification, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease that leads to progressive remodeling and narrowing of the pulmonary vasculature, right ventricular failure, and death. Despite the development of targeted therapies for PAH that reduce morbidity and mortality, persistent disability and persistently high health care costs remain a burden for both patients and public health. However, comprehensive global estimates of the burden of PAH remain scarce and incomplete.
The Global Burden of Disease Study collaboration characterized the global epidemiology of PAH, including regional differences. The scientists focused specifically on pulmonary arterial hypertension of the first group (according to the WHO classification), in which the average pressure in the pulmonary artery at rest is more than 20 mmHg, and in the pulmonary capillaries - less than 15 mmHg. According to these criteria, the researchers included in the analysis the largest epidemiological studies devoted to PAH.
In 2021, there were 192,000 cases of PAH (95% CI 155,000–236,000). The age-standardized prevalence of PAH was 2.28 cases per 100,000 population. Notably, the prevalence of PAH appears to have remained relatively stable over time: in 1990, it was 2.30 per 100,000 population.
PAH was more common among women: 2.75 cases per 100,000 women versus 1.78 cases per 100,000 men in 2021. Slightly higher prevalence was observed in Western Europe, Central Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region, and lower prevalence was observed in South Asia, North America, and Oceania. The age group most susceptible to developing PAH was 75–79 years.
In 2021, PAH caused 22,000 deaths worldwide, with an age-standardized mortality rate of 0.27 deaths per 100,000 population. Despite a higher prevalence of PAH in women, cause-specific mortality was similar in women and men. Disability and disability rates associated with PAH were comparable to those of thyroid disease, chronic myelogenous leukemia, testicular cancer, and Crohn's disease.
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