An unusual cause of pulmonary artery hypertension in a patient with chronic obstructive airway disease

Abstract

Pulmonary artery hypertension is a common entity in patients with obstructive airway disease mostly associated with chronic hypoxia. Presence of pulmonary artery hypertension can add to the respiratory distress patients experience during the clinical course of the disease. This is a case of a 55 year old man with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with the alternative diagnosis of anomalous pulmonary venous return as a cause of pulmonary hypertension and persistent dyspnoea. This alternative etiology can lead to unsatisfactory results inspite of optimal treatment and therefore needs to be addressed individually.