Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Pulmonary Idiopathic Arterial Hypertension

The Determination of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Pulmonary Idiopathic Arterial Hypertension.

Endothelial dysfunction ultimately represents an imbalance between the magnitude of injury and the capacity for repair.

Current evidence established that endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) participate in several models of vascular disease as acute coronary syndromes, stroke, diabetes, peripheral artery disease, etc. However EPC in the setting of PAH is less well established. The target of this study is to demonstrate if the number of EPC is increased in a mexican population of patients with PAH.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients were included in the study if they were in The WHO functional class II to III, and had a mean pulmonary artery pressure >30 mm Hg on right heart catheterization. The ability to walk >50 m during a standardized 6-min walk test.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pulmonary hypertension as a result of heart disease, pulmonary disease, sleep-associated disorders, chronic thromboembolic disease, autoimmune or collagen vascular disease, HIV infection, liver disease, major bleeding requiring blood transfusion,renal dysfunction, and evidence for malignant diseases were excluded.