The medical community has shown an increased interest in pulmonary hypertension since the approval of targeted therapies and the introduction of most therapeutic modalities in the last 20 years. However, the initial focus was on prevalent aetiologies such as primary pulmonary arterial hypertension and secondary connective tissue disorders, with less consideration given to other causes, such as secondary to left heart failure or hypoxic pulmonary disease.

The developing world, where 6 billion people live, has shown less attention to pulmonary hypertension, where the pattern and aetiologies differ from those of developed countries. A wide variety of infectious diseases can contribute to the cause of pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) and, consequently, pulmonary hypertension in the developing world. Despite being one of the major causes of PVD globally, no serious efforts are being made to understand the role of infection in PVD, except for some recent work on schistosomiasis and HIV. Therefore, more systematic, and coherent efforts are needed to study the role of infection in PVD.

IPVD consortium was established in 2018 to support the global effort to tackle infection and PVD. The main aim of this consortium is to enhance awareness about the role of infection on PVD, enhance and support collaborative basic and clinical research on the role of infection on PVD, and organize epidemiological and field studies on the role of infection on PVD. The consortium will extend membership to experts from various disciplines to work together.