Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of healthy (control) participants, PAH, and sepsis patients.
| Characteristic | Control | PAH | Sepsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample size (n) | 20 | 29 | 9 |
| Age* (years) | 46 ± 12 | 62 ± 11† | 55 ± 9 |
| Female (n (%)) | 14 (70) | 19 (66) | 4 (44) |
| APACHE score | N/A | N/A | 21 ± 9 |
| Cause of PAH (n (%)) | |||
| Idiopathic | N/A | 13 (45) | |
| Associated | N/A | 16 (55) | |
| Connective tissue disease; scleroderma | 14 (48) | ||
| Congenital heart disease | 2 (7) | ||
| WHO functional class (n (%)) | |||
| Class I | 1 (3) | ||
| Class II | 18 (62) | ||
| Class III | 8 (28) | ||
| Class IV | 2 (7) | ||
| PAH medications (n (%)) | 28 (97) | ||
| Diuretics | 16 (57) | ||
| Calcium channel blockers | 2 (7) | ||
| Prostacylins | 3 (11) | ||
| Endothelin receptor blockers | 21 (75) | ||
| Phosphodiesterase inhibitors | 6 (21) | ||
| Hemodynamic parameters* (n) | |||
| mPAP (mmHg) | 46 ± 15 (28) | ||
| PVR (dsc) | 603 ± 293 (26) | ||
| PCWP (mmHg) | 11 ± 6 (27) | ||
| Plasma cytokine levels (pg/mL)‡ | |||
| TNFα | 3.0 (2.0–3.6) | 7.0 (4.8–11.7)§ | 30.8 (7.8–33.8)** |
| IL-6 | 1.7 (0.5–7.2) | 9.2 [3.8–17.2]*** | 605 [269–7042]** |
| MCP-1 | 79 (49–93) | 109 [65–142]*** | 742 [101–1083]§ |
*
Mean ± Std Dev.
†
P < 0.01 versus controls.
‡
Median (interquartile range).
§
P < 0.001 versus controls. ***P < 0.05 versus controls.
**
P < 0.0001 versus controls.
mPAP, mean pulmonary arterial pressure; PAH, pulmonary arterial hypertension; PCWP, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure; PVR, pulmonary vascular resistance.