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(Circulation. 2008;118:1758-1766.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Pulmonary Vascular Diseases

Pulmonary Vascular Disease in the Developing World

Ghazwan Butrous, MB, ChB, PhD; Hossein Ardeschir Ghofrani, MD; Friedrich Grimminger, MD, PhD

From the Division of Cardiopulmonary Sciences, Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Kent, and Pfizer Global Research and Development, Sandwich Laboratories, UK, Canterbury, Kent, UK (G.B.); Medical Clinic II, University Hospital Giessen, Giessen, Germany (H.A.G., F.G.); and Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute, Canterbury, Kent, UK.

Correspondence to Dr Ghazwan Butrous, Division of Cardiopulmonary Sciences, University of Kent, Research and Development Centre, Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Sciences, Parkwood Rd, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7PD UK. E-mail G.Butrous@kent.ac.uk

Key Words: epidemiology • heart diseases • hypertension, pulmonary • hypoxia • infection

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	Introduction

 
The prevalence, cause, and pathobiology of pulmonary vascular disease in the developing world are not known, but estimates put the prevalence at 20 to 25 million. A major contributor is infectious disease. The present review examines the association between infectious disease and other causes in the developing world and pulmonary vascular disease and the need for further research in this area.

	Pulmonary Vascular Disease Associated With Schistosomiasis

 
Schistosomiasis (Bilharzias)¹ is the third-leading endemic parasitic disease in the world, following malaria and amebiasis. More than 300 million individuals are infected, and another 600 million are at risk of infection.² The disease ranks higher in prevalence than HIV/AIDS. It is endemic in eastern South America, the Caribbean Islands, east Asia, and some parts of China and the Middle East, with sub-Saharan Africa being the most endemic area. It is a major public health problem that is closely correlated with socioeconomic conditions. Modern endeavors to develop and construct water schemes to meet local power and agricultural needs have increased the prevalence in many parts of the world.^2,3 Few countries have eradicated the disease or undertaken successful and sustainable control programs despite the collaborative efforts of local governments, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the United Nations, and philanthropic organizations.

Schistosomiasis is caused by flatworms. There are many species of Schistosoma. S mansoni infects >120 million people in Africa and Brazil. The final target of this species is the intestinal and hepatic circulatory system. S hematobium is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, and east Asia. It targets . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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