The Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale does not predict hospitalization in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BackgroundBreathlessness is the most common symptom reported by patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale (MBS) is routinely obtained during the six-minute walk test in the assessment of PAH patients, but it is not known whether the MBS predicts clinical outcomes such as hospitalizations in PAH.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study of World Health Organization (WHO) Group 1 PAH patients followed at our center. The dates of the first three MBS and hospitalizations that occurred within three months of a documented MBS were collected. Marginal Cox hazard regression modeling was used to assess for a relationship between MBS and all-cause as well as PAH-related hospitalization.ResultsA total of 50 patients were included; most (92%) were functional class III/IV, 44% and 65% were treatment-naive prior to their first MBS and hospitalization, respectively. The first recorded MBS was inversely correlated with the first recorded six-minute walk distance (6MWD) (r = –0.4...