Age over 70 linked to poorer survival in lung artery disease
Patients over 70 had a higher relative rate of death than those 70 or younger after adjustment for other factors (hazard ratio 2.21).
Limit: Older patients received less intensive treatment, which could contribute to their poorer survival
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In 435 adults with newly diagnosed pulmonary arterial hypertension—high blood pressure in the lungs’ arteries—a retrospective cohort study linked age over 70 to poorer survival. The disease either had no identified cause or was associated with connective tissue disorders. Researchers analyzed Spanish registry records for diagnoses made from 2014 to 2023. Participants averaged 57 years old.
Five-year survival was lower above age 70, with survival curves separating after year three. The association with mortality remained after accounting for sex, disease type and individual coexisting conditions. At first follow-up, 17.3% of older patients reached the low-risk category, compared with 50.0% of those 70 or younger. Older patients more often remained on one drug and less often had treatment intensified.
Why it matters
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is increasingly diagnosed in older adults. The study addresses whether their poorer outlook reflects age-related vulnerability beyond other illnesses and standard risk measures.
Caveats
This observational study cannot show that age itself caused poorer survival. The findings concern two forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension and were reported in a conference abstract.
The paper
Hospital Costa del Sol; Hospital Universitario 12 De Octubre
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026