A clinical case of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension in patient with comorbid ischemic heart disease: the key stages of diagnosis

Abstract

Despite the progress achieved in the development of new directions in the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, it remains one of the most severe and prognostically unfavorable diseases. The article presents a clinical case and an algorithm for diagnosis of this rare disease, in respect to the decision-making in clinical practice. The present case underscores the need to consider a broad differential diagnosis for marked dyspnea in mature patients, especially when the intensity of dyspnea is out of proportion to the severity of underlying heart or lung diseases, or when symptoms fail to subside as expected in response to conventional therapy. Early diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is vitally important for initiating modern therapy in order to improve the quality and duration of life in such patients.