The purpose of this article is to review the pathogenesis and management of altitude pulmonary hypertension (APH), which is a disease resulting from chronic exposure to altitude and, at present, it is not defined whether it is a public health problem or a rare disease. The prevalence of APH varies according to geographic, environmental and genetic location. The population living at high altitude is chronically exposed to alveolar hypoxia; this causes vasoconstriction and then pulmonary vascular remodeling. APH is usually asymptomatic; only in advanced stages does it produce symptoms characterized by exertional dyspnea and fatigue. The accurate diagnosis is right heart catheterization with mean arterial pressure values greater than 30 mmHg or systolic pulmonary artery pressure greater than 50 mmHg. The ideal treatment is the descent of the patient to low places. Prognosis is good in most ...

Clinical monitoring of pulmonary arterial hypertension in our country, in which patients come from different altitudes above sea level, forces us to rule out pulmonary hypertension in relation to chronic exposure to high heights, described in third group of international classification. When reviewing the hemodynamic variations in pulmonary pressure with exercise at altitude with respect to sea level in healthy patients, this is greater in height, this would explain that the patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension is more symptomatic while living at a higher altitude above sea ​​level.

El seguimiento clínico de la hipertensión arterial pulmonar en nuestro país, en el que los pacientes proceden de distintas altitudes sobre el nivel del mar, nos obliga a descartar hipertensión pulmonar en relación con la exposición crónica a grandes alturas, descrita en el tercer grupo de la clasificación internacional. Al revisar las variaciones hemodinámicas de la presión pulmonar con ejercicio en altura con respecto al nivel del mar en pacientes sanos, esta es mayor en altura, lo que explica la mayor sintomatología en altura. Presentamos un caso clínico de hipertensión pulmonar que presentó valores diferentes en la hemodinámica de altura y a nivel del mar.

Clinical monitoring of pulmonary arterial hypertension in our country, in which patients come from different altitudes above sea level, forces us to rule out pulmonary hypertension in relation to chronic exposure to high heights, described in third group of international classification. When reviewing the hemodynamic variations in pulmonary pressure with exercise at altitude with respect to sea level in healthy patients, this is greater in height, this would explain that the patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension is more symptomatic while living at a higher altitude above sea ​​level.