FREQUENCY OF PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN PATIENTS WITH INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE

Objectives: The aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (HP)  in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and the relationship between the frequency of PH and age, gender, smoking history, and disease duration. Materials and Methods: The current with a cross-sectional descriptive design was carried out in KTH, Peshawar, from September 28, 2019, to March 27, 2020. Patients with ILD who volunteered for the study were recruited after an explanation of the study procedures, risks, and benefits by the investigators to the patients or their surrogates. Echocardiography of the right side of the heart was done using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) which was used to thereby determine the degree of pulmonary hypertension. Using SPSS version 16, students’ demographic details and illness experiences were categorized, and numerical data was compared. Results: Out of 95 patients 27 patients (28.42 percent) were diagnosed to have PH. PH was more common in the elderly, where 42.9% of samples from patients over 60 years of age had PH. PH was not significantly correlated to gender, smoking history, or disease duration. Conclusion: PH is common in ILD patients, particularly those of older age. Regular screening tests are helpful in the early detection of diseases such that they can be managed to improve a patient’s health status.