Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0206061 (interstitial pneumonia)
 6,105 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recent advances in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension provide a rational basis for earlier, noninvasive diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, the reliability of transthoracic echocardiography, plasma BNP levels, and other parameters for the diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension remains unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the utility of these modes of investigation for the prediction of pulmonary arterial pressure as compared with the current gold standard, Swan-Ganz catheterization. Among 46 PAH patients, 37 had connective tissue diseases, while the remainder had primary pulmonary arterial hypertension, chronic pulmonary thromboembolism, and interstitial pneumonitis. Systolic pulmonary arterial pressure calculated by transthoracic echocardiography was significantly correlated with systolic pulmonary arterial pressure measured using a Swan-Ganz catheter (r = 0.51, P < 0.01). Plasma BNP concentration did not correlate with systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (r = 0.10, NS) in the overall patient population. However, when we excluded left ventricular heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy, BNP concentration was correlated with systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (r = 0.508, P < 0.05). Among other variables tested, ECG electrical axis was correlated with pulmonary arterial pressure (r = 0.46, P < 0.05) but uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, %DLCO, enhanced IIp sound, and pulmonary artery enlargement on chest x-ray did not correlate with pulmonary arterial pressure. These data suggest that echocardiography is the noninvasive modality of choice for the assessment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Plasma BNP level also predicts pulmonary arterial pressure, when left ventricular heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy are excluded.
 ...
PMID:Utility of echocardiography versus BNP level for the prediction of pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. 2096 7

The goal of this review is to describe evolving epidemiology of noninfectious, nonneoplastic pulmonary complications of HIV infection, including HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (HIV-PAH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). The development of antiretroviral therapy has rendered HIV a chronic illness in treated patients, and the landscape of HIV-associated medical conditions continues to evolve. Although there has been a shift away from AIDS-defining infectious diseases and malignancies, HIV-PAH continues to affect survival adversely when compared with HIV-infected patients without PAH. Studies of pre- and post-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era show that the prevalence of HIV-PAH remains high and unchanged. The increased prevalence of PAH among HIV-infected individuals has led to several complementary theories about potential mechanisms underlying this disease. Unique mechanisms of HIV-PAH focus on direct effects of viral proteins; alterations in cellular immunologic/inflammatory reactions to the virus; additive effects of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs of abuse; and potentially toxic aspects of antiretroviral and associated therapies. PAH-specific therapy with HAART is likely beneficial in the treatment of HIV-PAH patients. The prevalence of ILD in HIV-infected individuals is also significantly higher than that in the general population. Lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis (LIP) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) have been reported in both HIV-infected children and adults, and NSIP is more common than LIP in HIV-infected patients. At present, there is no consensus on the pathogenesis of LIP and NSIP in HIV. Finally, we briefly review the literature on venous thromboembolic disease in HIV-infected individuals.
...
PMID:Noninfectious and Nonneoplastic Conditions Associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. 2697 5