Pulmonary hypertension: basic concepts and practical management.

The simple reason is that the field moves at a rapid pace, which still seems to be accelerating instead of slowing down. Therefore, both researchers and clinicians are constantly faced with new pathophysiological concepts, new drugs and new therapeutic frontiers. The field of pulmonary hypertension is large and encompasses a broad range of diseases and conditions affecting hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide [2]. For a single but rather rare form of pulmonary hypertension, called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), several classes of drugs are now available. These drugs have a substantial impact on the survival of patients with PAH. For instance, 3-yr survival rates have increased from ,40% in the 1980s [3] to ,80% in current case series [4–6]. But what is the current state of knowledge in treating other forms of pulmonary hypertension that pulmonologists frequently encounter in chronic thromboembolism, obstructive lung disease or pulmonary fibrosis, among other conditions? As we are aware that many European Respiratory Journal (ERJ ) readers have a special interest in pulmonary vascular disease, we felt that the time was right to summarise the latest information. The idea was to combine an overview of the current understanding of basic concepts with an update on the latest therapeutic advances. We have invited experts in the field, both from basic science and clinical practice backgrounds, to work together in summarising and commenting on the latest developments in research and medical therapy.