Diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.
- Author:
Hojoong KIM
1
Author Information
1. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Pulmonary arterial hypertension;
Vasoreactivity;
Therapy
- MeSH:
Diagnosis*;
Epoprostenol;
Heart Failure;
Hemodynamics;
Humans;
Hypertension*;
Iloprost;
Mortality;
Quality of Life;
Sildenafil Citrate
- From:Korean Journal of Medicine
2006;71(1):4-9
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (previous primary pulmonary hypertension) was a progressive disease with high mortality. Many patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension did not show vasoreactivity, rapidly resulted in marked disability, right heart failure and death. Recent advances of therapeutic modalities have revolutionized the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Irrespective of pulmonary arterial vasoreactivity, new vasodilatng agents, such as epoprostenol, treprostinil, iloprost, bosentan, and sildenafil, significantly improved hemodynamics, symptoms, exercise capacities, quality of life, and survival. The median survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension has been prolonged from 2.8 years to more than 5 years. In a near future, pulmonary arterial hypertension could be easily controlled like a systemic arterial hypertension.
