Article

Therapeutic Strategies in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

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Abstract

Keywords

Endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, prostanoids, pulmonary hypertension,

Disclosure: Carmine Dario Vizza has received honoraria for sitting on advisory boards and talking at sponsored symposia from Actelion, GSK, Pfizer, United Threpeutics, Italfarmaco and Bayer. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Citation:European Cardiology 2012;8(3):198–203

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15420/ecr.2012.8.3.198

Support: The publication of this article was supported by United Therapeutics. The opinions expressed are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of United Therapeutics.

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Abstract

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious and life-threatening condition for which the prognosis remains poor. Treatment options include endothelial receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase (PDE5) inhibitors and prostanoids. Despite all demonstrating good short-term efficacy, none of the currently available drug therapies are curative. Treatment with prostanoids is complex and requires careful monitoring and management through a specialist centre. Furthermore, clinical efficacy is dependent on adequate up-titration of the drug. Treatment should be individualised and modified according to clinical response, with the addition of other therapies if required. The importance of monitoring and modifying therapeutic regimes is discussed. There appears to be reluctance among patients and physicians to employ prostanoid therapy, though an aggressive first-line therapy may be appropriate in advanced cases.

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