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Guidelines Issued for Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension

New guidelines address classifying the different types of disease, approved treatment methods

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The first guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension in children have been published online Nov. 3 in Circulation.

The guidelines are the result of a joint effort from the American Heart Association and American Thoracic Society. A panel of clinicians and clinician-scientists reviewed the current literature to make recommendations on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of pediatric pulmonary hypertension.

The new guidelines outline how to classify the different types of pulmonary hypertension in children. They also list approved treatment methods.

“It’s important to note that although these guidelines provide a foundation for taking care of children with pulmonary hypertension, we still have a huge need for more specific data and research to further improve outcomes of children with pulmonary hypertension,” guidelines committee co-chairman Steven Abman, M.D., said in a news release from the American Heart Association. Abman is a pediatric pulmonologist and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital in Denver.

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