Patients with scleroderma at highest risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension

CHICAGO – Risks for pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension among patients with scleroderma were discussed by Harrison Farber, MD, at the American College of Rheumatology State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, here.Farber said patients with scleroderma are at the highest risk for developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), with approximately 60% of patients enrolled in PAH clinical trials positive for some form of scleroderma. The rate of PAH in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is about 17%, and the incidence is very low in other rheumatic diseases, according to Farber.