Pulmonary Hypertension: Evaluation and Management

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled Pulmonary Hypertension: Evaluation and Management (Compr Ther. 2007 Sep;33(3):150-161.). Authors are heresi GA Dweik R, from the Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, USA.. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a hemodynamic state characterized by elevation in the mean pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance leading to right ventricular failure and premature death. IPAH, formerly known as primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), is a rare disease most commonly seen in women of childbearing age. Presenting symptoms and signs are nonspecific and include dyspnea on exertion, fatigue, and a loud pulmonary component of the second heart sound.Several targeted treatment options have become available in recent years and include parenteral and inhaled prostanoids, oral endothelin receptor antagonists, and oral phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.