PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sanjay Mehta AU - Jean-Luc VachiƩry TI - Pulmonary hypertension: the importance of correctly diagnosing the cause AID - 10.1183/16000617.0104-2016 DP - 2016 Dec 01 TA - European Respiratory Review PG - 372--380 VI - 25 IP - 142 4099 - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/25/142/372.short 4100 - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/25/142/372.full SO - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW2016 Dec 01; 25 AB - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complex condition that can occur as a result of a wide range of disorders, including left heart disease, lung disease and chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Contemporary PH patients are older and frequently have a multitude of comorbidities that may contribute to or simply coincide with their PH. Identifying the cause of PH in these complicated patients can be challenging but is essential, given that the aetiology of the disease has a significant impact on the management options available. In this article, we present two cases that highlight the difficulties involved in obtaining a precise diagnosis of the cause of PH within the setting of multiple comorbidities. The importance of performing a comprehensive, multidimensional diagnostic work-up is demonstrated, in addition to the need to specifically consider cardiopulmonary haemodynamic data in the context of the wider clinical picture. The article also illustrates why achieving an accurate diagnosis is necessary for optimal patient management. This may involve treatment of comorbidities as a priority, which can ameliorate the severity of PH, obviating the need to consider PH-targeted medical treatment.Multidimensional testing in PH is essential, especially when patients present with comorbidities http://ow.ly/kYJa305OIi2