Historically Marginalized And Minoritized Populations With PAH: A Deeper Dive Into a Complex Question.

Abstract

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive cardiopulmonary disorder with disparities in epidemiology, clinical outcomes, and healthcare access that disproportionately affect historically neglected populations, including Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians. This State-of-the-Art Review examines pulmonary arterial hypertension disparities through cross-cutting themes and population-specific evidence. First, we discuss the role of race and ethnicity as social constructs, the historical roots of medical mistrust arising from documented exploitation of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian communities, and the implications of genetic ancestry research within the framework of race as a social rather than biological variable. We then review population-specific evidence on clinical phenotypes, survival, and access to care, and review the significance of socioeconomic deprivation in clinical outcomes across populations. We highlight existing gaps in knowledge and propose a framework for shared efforts towards the common goal of achieving health equity in pulmonary hypertension care.