Objective The demographic characteristics, ratio of aetiologies and biochemical parameters of adult patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) living in plain and high‐altitude regions were investigated and analysed. Methods In total, 2846 adult patients with PH hospitalized from 2010 to 2015 in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Qinghai Red Cross Hospital were retrospectively investigated. Results (1) In the present study, the numbers of patients with PH in both the plain and high‐altitude regions increased annually (P < 0.05), and the in‐hospital prevalence of PH significantly increased over time in the high‐altitude region. PH was more common in women in the plain region. Furthermore, compared with PH patients living in the plain region, those living in the high‐altitude region were older (P < 0.05) and had higher smoking rates (P < 0.05). In the plain region, the greatest proportion of patients with PH belonged to group 2 (PH because of left heart disease), while in the high‐altitude region, group 3 (PH because of lung diseases and/or hypoxia) was the most common (P < 0.05). (2) Haemoglobin levels, red blood cell counts, mean platelet volumes and platelet volume distribution widths were lower in PH patients living in the plain region than in those living in the high‐altitude region. Furthermore, platelet counts were higher in patients living in the plain region than in those living in the high‐altitude region (P < 0.05). The BNP/NT‐proBNP levels were higher in PH patients living in the plain region (45.5%), which were mostly in group 4, than in those living the high‐altitude region (P < 0.05). Conclusions The data from the hospitals in both the plain and high‐altitude regions show a tendency towards increased in‐hospital prevalence of PH over the last 6 years. The most common aetiologies of PH in patients living in the plain region and high‐altitude regions were left heart disease and lung disease, respectively. Compared with PH patients living in the plain region, those living in the high‐altitude region had better cardiac function and less severe PH.

Berberidis Cortex is rich in alkaloids, and many of them have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic activities. However, few research studies have focused on the quantitative analysis of multiple components from Berberidis Cortex. In this study, a new quality evaluation strategy for Berberidis Cortex was developed and validated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which involved single marker, fingerprint, and stoichiometric methods. Using berberine hydrochloride as an internal reference, the relative correction factors of palmatine hydrochloride, magnoline, and jatrorrhizine hydrochloride were 2.4537, 0.9783, and 1.0035, respectively, and their durabilities were also well performed. In addition, both methods mentioned above were used to compare the mass fractions of four isoquinoline alkaloids in ten batches of Berberidis Cortex from different origins. These results indicated that the approach applied in this study was accurate and feasible. The fingerprints of these ten batches of Berberidis Cortex were established, and eleven components were identified with the similarity greater than 0.993. Both cluster and principal component analysis were carried out based on the peak area of these components, the results demonstrated that these ten batches of Berberidis Cortex were divided into two groups and the distribution of the medicinal material was basically consistent. Therefore, quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker (QAMS) can be widely used in the quality control of Berberidis Cortex as theoretical basis.