Use of exercise tests in screening for pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis: A systematic literature review.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objective

Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have a poor prognosis, accounting for 30% of all SSc-related deaths. Guidelines recommend annual screening for PAH regardless of symptoms, as early treatment improves outcomes. Current protocols include combinations of clinical features, biomarkers, pulmonary function tests, and echocardiography. None include exercise testing, although early-stage PAH may only be evident during exercise. This systematic review assessed the performance of exercise tests in predicting the presence of PAH in patients with SSc, where PAH was confirmed through right heart catheterisation (RHC).

Methods

Comprehensive literature searches were performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database o

SUBMITTER: Madigan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10848927 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature