Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a syndrome characterized by marked remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and a progressive increase in the pulmonary vascular load. PH is a serious complex disorder that associated with high morbidity and mortality rates.
PH is a complication of various hematologic diseases including myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) which are included in group 5 ph.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of at least one myeloid series due to an abnormal hematopoietic cell clone. There are different types of MPNs including polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF).
PH is defined as an elevation in the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) that is greater than or equal to 25 mmHg, which was measured at rest via right heart catheterization (RHC).
Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) can be accurately estimated using Doppler transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), recent advances in noninvasive imaging led Doppler TTE to become the most widespread and well-recognized technique for non-invasive sPAP evaluation and the screening modality of choice for evaluating PH.
Active monitoring of PH in patients with MPN may be warranted. Identification of risk factors predicting PH in MPN patients promises early detection and possibly improved PH management and therapy.