Rīga Stradiņš University Will Host 4th Baltic Pulmonary Hypertension Conference

The 4th Baltic Pulmonary Hypertension Conference will be held on Friday, 21 April, at 9.00, in the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Great Hall. The event will bring together Europe's leading pulmonary hypertension specialists who will share their experience and knowledge on diagnosing and treating this dangerous disease.

The conference is organised by RSU, the Rare Disease Research Foundation, and the Latvian Association of Rare Disease Specialists. The Pulmonary Hypertension Conference was first held in 2016 in Riga, with the second and third Baltic Pulmonary Hypertension Conferences taking place in Vilnius and Tallinn. 

Pulmonary hypertension is increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. According to the World Health Organisation, it affects 1% of the global population or 80 million people. Both newborns and elderly people can suffer from the disease. It has five forms, two of which are rare and particularly dangerous because, if left untreated, the disease puts enormous strain on the heart, causes oxygen deprivation, and leads to right ventricular failure.

‘It can be described as a tumour that leaves human cells without oxygen by growing into the arteries of the lungs and blocking them. It is important to diagnose and treat these two rare and most dangerous forms of pulmonary hypertension early: pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic blood clots.

Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in the treatment and research of these rare forms of the disease, and review the most challenging cases in clinical practice,’ says Andris Skride, cardiologist and Associate Professor at RSU, who is organising the conference.

The year 2022 was an important year for pulmonary hypertension across Europe, as the European Society of Cardiology approved new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Pulmonary hypertension is a syndrome characterised by increased blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries – the blood vessels that carry venous blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs. The higher the pressure in the pulmonary arteries, the harder the heart has to work to deliver blood to the body. The oxygen supply to the body is impaired, the blood vessels in the lungs narrow and this can lead to the risk of thrombosis. The disease may not have a specific cause - this form of the disease is more common in young women. Sometimes pulmonary hypertension develops due to another disease. People with congenital heart disease, systemic scleroderma, or other systemic diseases, portal hypertension, HIV, or pulmonary thromboembolism are at higher risk. Sometimes the disease develops due to prolonged use of certain medications or appetite suppressants.

Symptoms are non-specific, similar to those of other diseases, and are often initially associated with other cardiac, pulmonary, or haematological diseases. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, fainting, cyanosis of the lips (bluish tinge). Due to non-specific symptoms there may be difficulties and delays in diagnosis. Cardiac ultrasound or echocardiography is the simplest method for early detection.

The treatment of the disease is complex and depends on the form of the disease. In most cases, specific drug therapy is needed. While, in the case of thromboembolic form, special minimally invasive surgery (balloon pulmonary angioplasty) or more complex surgery (pulmonary endarterectomy) will help. Sometimes, if medication is ineffective, the only treatment is a lung transplant.

In Latvia, pulmonary hypertension is treated at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital Centre for Rare Diseases.

Programme and registration