Background <p>Inflammation and immune mechanisms play a crucial role in connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH), though they remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to identify specific clinical phenotypes in CTD-PAH using inflammatory and immune markers through hierarchical cluster analysis.</p> Methods <p>We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of CTD-PAH patients from 2009 to 2024. Clinical variables, including neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and complement C3 and C4, were analyzed to form clusters based on baseline characteristics, clinical outcomes, and treatment goals.</p> Results <p>Among 184 patients (95.1% female; median age 40.42 years), three distinct clusters were identified: Cluster 1 (vasculopathic phenotype) exhibited lower inflammatory activity but worse hemodynamic outcomes; Cluster 2 (vasculitic phenotype) had higher inflammatory activity with favorable hemodynamics; Cluster 3 (mixed phenotype) showed active inflammation and poor hemodynamic status. Most vasculitic patients were classified as systemic lupus erythematosus-associated PAH (SLE-PAH), which had a shorter course and higher prevalence of autoantibodies. The vasculopathic and mixed phenotypes were common in scleroderma-related PAH (SSc-PAH), undifferentiated CTD- related PAH (UCTD-PAH), and mixed CTD- related PAH (MCTD-PAH), associated with poorer treatment outcomes and survival rate.</p> Conclusion <p>Distinct clinical phenotypes in CTD-PAH correlate with inflammatory activity and hemodynamic status, influencing treatment responses and prognosis.</p>

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Cluster analysis reveals three clinical phenotypes of pulmonary artery hypertension associated with connective tissue diseases: insights into inflammation and immunity

  • Qianwen Wu,
  • Dongyu Li,
  • Huangshu Ye,
  • Zhangdi Zhou,
  • Yixin Zhang,
  • Miaojia Zhang,
  • Xiaoxuan Sun,
  • Qiang Wang

摘要

Background

Inflammation and immune mechanisms play a crucial role in connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH), though they remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to identify specific clinical phenotypes in CTD-PAH using inflammatory and immune markers through hierarchical cluster analysis.

Methods

We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of CTD-PAH patients from 2009 to 2024. Clinical variables, including neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and complement C3 and C4, were analyzed to form clusters based on baseline characteristics, clinical outcomes, and treatment goals.

Results

Among 184 patients (95.1% female; median age 40.42 years), three distinct clusters were identified: Cluster 1 (vasculopathic phenotype) exhibited lower inflammatory activity but worse hemodynamic outcomes; Cluster 2 (vasculitic phenotype) had higher inflammatory activity with favorable hemodynamics; Cluster 3 (mixed phenotype) showed active inflammation and poor hemodynamic status. Most vasculitic patients were classified as systemic lupus erythematosus-associated PAH (SLE-PAH), which had a shorter course and higher prevalence of autoantibodies. The vasculopathic and mixed phenotypes were common in scleroderma-related PAH (SSc-PAH), undifferentiated CTD- related PAH (UCTD-PAH), and mixed CTD- related PAH (MCTD-PAH), associated with poorer treatment outcomes and survival rate.

Conclusion

Distinct clinical phenotypes in CTD-PAH correlate with inflammatory activity and hemodynamic status, influencing treatment responses and prognosis.