The PAH risk calculator is a tool for all physicians dealing with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The calculator was developed and validated in the DETECT study, which was designed and carried out by a group of SSc and PAH experts, and was supported by Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
The calculator was developed for daily clinical practice. It will help to identify and diagnose SSc patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which is a serious condition that develops in 8-13% of SSc patients and is the leading cause of death in patients with SSc. The calculator is based on an algorithm with a high sensitivity and specificity and can help to decide which SSc patients should be evaluated using echocardiography, and of those, patients who should be referred for right heart catheterization.