PRIMARY PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: A REVIEW, AND REPORT OF FIVE CASES.

Primary pulmonary hypertension can no longer be considered an uncommon disorder. Five patients with this disorder seen over a comparatively short period of time are reported. All were young women, whose symptomatology and laboratory findings are described. No other disorder was found associated with or responsible for the increase in pulmonary vascular pressure. In two instances the diagnosis was confirmed at necropsy, and a detailed description of the pathological findings in one of these cases is given. Some of the pertinent clinical and pathological literature on the subject of primary pulmonary hypertension is reviewed, and the current findings are discussed in the context of this literature.