A 63-Year-Old Woman With Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Pulmonary Hypertension With Worsening Hypoxemia

An Uncommon Incidence of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated With Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Case Report

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is often a difficult condition to diagnose, since it occurs insidiously and is a diagnosis of exclusion. Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NFT1) have been associated with severe exacerbations of PH. To our knowledge, less than 20 cases of PH in NFT1 patients have been reported. However, the severity of presenting symptoms requires physicians to be aware of this association and pursue the appropriate diagnostic workup. In our report, we present a 54-year-old NFT1 patient who presented with worsening dyspnea secondary to PH, which was being treated with trepostanil and macitetan. She required a right heart catheterization to assess her pulmonary artery pressures (which remained elevated). She was placed on tadalafil in addition to trepostanil and macitetan and noted significant resolution of her symptoms. Further studies are required to explore the association between PH and NFT1 and examine the efficacy of triple therapy with endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, and parenteral prostanoids in the initial treatment of PH in the aforementioned patient population.

Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Clinical Approach in Group 5 Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is recognized to be associated with a number of comorbid conditions. Based on these associations, PH is classified into 5 groups, considering common pathophysiologic drivers of disease, histopathologic features, clinical manifestations and course, and response to PH therapy. However, in some of these associated conditions, these characteristics are less well-understood. These include, among others, conditions commonly encountered in clinical practice such as sarcoidosis, sickle cell disease, myeloproliferative disorders, and chronic kidney disease/end stage renal disease. PH in these contexts presents a significant challenge to clinicians with respect to disease management. The most recent updated clinical classification schemata from the 6th World Symposium on PH classifies such entities in Group 5, highlighting the often unclear and/or multifactorial nature of PH. An in-depth review of the state of the science of Group 5 PH with respect to epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management is provided. Where applicable, future directions with respect to research needed to enhance understanding of the clinical course of these entities is also discussed.

Acute Deterioration of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1)

A 56-year-old woman was diagnosed as having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with heavy smoking. Mild pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressure: 31 mmHg) was detected at the first visit. She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension due to pulmonary disease and medicated only with bronchodilators. Simultaneous, multiple freckling in the trunk of her body and café au lait macules in her back with some cutaneous neurofibromas were also detected. A plastic surgeon removed one of the neurofibromas and pathologically diagnosed it as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). We finally rediagnosed her with pulmonary hypertension with unclear and/or multifactorial factors when she deteriorated 1 year after being treated only with bronchodilators. We then administrated upfront combination therapy with macitentan and tadalafil. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure rapidly improved. Learning Objective. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) can occur due to lung disease or due to certain involvement of pulmonary arteries, or a combination of both. Increased awareness of PAH in NF1 is very important for patients survival. The current therapeutic strategy is almost identical to that of idiopathic PAH; however, there is no clinical evidence. Insights gained from clinical experiences should help identify promising novel therapeutic approaches in NF1-PAH.

Neurofibromatosis type 1: State-of-the-art review with emphasis on pulmonary involvement

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), also known as von Recklinghausen's disease, is an autosomal dominant dysplasia of the ectoderm and mesoderm with a variable clinical expression, but near-complete penetrance before the age of 5 years. The estimated incidence is 1 in 3000 births. NF-1 is characterized by collections of neurofibromas, café-au-lait spots, axillary and inguinal freckling, and pigmented hamartomas in the iris (Lisch nodules). Pulmonary manifestations of NF-1, which usually include bilateral basal reticulations and apical bullae and cysts, are reported in 10-20% of adult patients. Clinically, neurofibromatosis-associated diffuse lung disease (NF-DLD) usually presents with nonspecific respiratory symptoms, including dyspnea on exertion, shortness of breath, and chronic cough or chest pain, at the time of diagnosis. Computed tomography (CT) is highly accurate for the identification and characterization of NF-DLD; it is the most reliable method for the diagnosis of this lung involvement. Various CT findings of NF-DLD, including cysts, bullae, ground-glass opacities, bibasilar reticular opacities, and emphysema, have been described in patients with NF-1. The typical CT pattern, however, is characterized by upper-lobe cystic and bullous disease, and basilar interstitial lung disease. Currently, the goal of NF-DLD treatment is the earliest possible diagnosis, focusing on symptom relief and interventions that positively alter the course of the disease, such as smoking cessation. The aim of this review is to describe the main clinical, pathological, and imaging aspects of NF-1, with a focus on pulmonary involvement.

Pulmonary hypertension associated with neurofibromatosis type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), also known as von Recklinghausen disease, is a frequent autosomal dominant genetic disorder with a prevalence of 1 in 3000. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with NF1 (PH-NF1) is a rare but severe complication of NF1 and is classified as Group 5 PH, defined as “PH with unclear and/or multifactorial mechanisms”. A literature review in PubMed on the association between NF1 and PH identified 18 articles describing 31 cases. PH-NF1 was characterised by a female predominance, an advanced age at diagnosis, an association with parenchymal lung disease in two out of three cases and poor long-term prognosis. NF1 is generally associated with interstitial lung disease but some cases of severe PH without parenchymal lung disease suggest that there could be a specific pulmonary vascular disease. There is no data available on the efficacy of specific pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment in PH-NF1. Therefore, these patients should be evaluated in expert PH centres and referred for lung transplantation at an early stage. As these patients have an increased risk of malignancy, careful assessment of the post-transplant malignancy risk prior to listing for transplantation is necessary. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate promising treatments targeting the RAS-downstream signalling pathways.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare but severe complication of neurofibromatosis type 1. There are no data about the efficacy of specific PAH treatment in this disease and lung transplantation should be discussed at an early stage.http://ow.ly/JMU030lezfY