Pulmonary Hypertension: Etiology
An extensive amount of scientific research in recent years has led to the identification of a collection of risk factors and associated conditions for pulmonary arterial hypertension. They include a relationship between the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension and gender, the presence of underlying medical conditions or disease, and an association between pulmonary arterial hypertension and the ingestion of specific drugs or toxins. FIGURE. Risk factors for pulmonary arterial hypertension summarizes these risk factors and associated conditions; the most important ones are discussed in the following sections.
Female Gender and Ethnicity
Studies examining the gender ratio for pulmonary arterial hypertension and familial pulmonary arterial hypertension revealed that in childhood, the ratio of females to males with the condition is 1:1. In adulthood, the ratio is 1.7:. Females appear to be at greater risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension in general. Analysis of the United States’ National Institutes of Health registry also points to a greater incidence of pulmonary arterial hypertension in African-American females, with a female to male ratio of 3:1. Researchers speculate this ethnic group may be more susceptible than Caucasians to autoimmune-like disorders.
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