Pulmonary arterial hypertension: a current review of pharmacological management.
Pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) is a rare and devastating disease characterized by progressive increases in pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, which eventually leads to right ventricular failure and death. At present there is no cure for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); however over the past decade targeted pharmaceutical options have become available for the treatment of PAH. Prior to evaluation for therapeutic options a definitive diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension must be made via comprehensive physical exam and definitive diagnostic testing. Screening test of choice remains echocardiography and gold standard for definitive diagnosis is right heart catheterization. Once the establishment of a diagnosis of PAH is made therapeutic options may be a possibility based on a diagnostic algorithm and disease severity of the PAH patient. There are different classes of medications available with different mechanisms of actions which net a vasodilatory effect and improve exercise tolerance, quality of life as well and survival.
['Sahni|Sonu|S|', 'Ojrzanowski|Marcin|M|', 'Majewski|Sebastian|S|', 'Talwar|Arunabh|A|']
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents D006328:Cardiac Catheterization D019468:Disease Management D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination D004452:Echocardiography D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists D011464:Epoprostenol D017079:Exercise Tolerance D006801:Humans D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors D011788:Quality of Life D014665:Vasodilator Agents
pulmonary arterial hypertension right heart catheterization endothelin receptor antagonist phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors prostacyclin analogues