title: [Efficacy of prostaglandin E1 in the treatment of chronic pulmonary heart disease in the elderly people at the acute stage].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) in the treatment of chronic pulmonary heart disease in the elderlys at the acute stage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty cases of chronic pulmonary heart disease at the acute stage were treated with PGE1 at the dosage of 100 micrograms.d-1 for 7 days by intravenous drop, other 40 patients with the same disease were treated without PGE1, and 20 healthy subjects were selected as controls. The level of plasma D-dimer and serum fibrin degradation products (FDP), and blood PaO2 and PaCO2 were determined. The patients' symptoms and signs were observed before and after the treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of plasma D-dimer and serum FDP were significantly increased (P < 0.01) in both the PGE1 group and the control group (no PGE1) compared to the healthy subjects. In PGE1 and no PGE1 groups the levels of plasma D-dimer and serum FDP were significantly decreased (P < 0.01) after the treatment. The level of PaO2 was increased and there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the two groups, but the level of PaCO2 was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in both PGE1 and no PGE1 groups, but the decreasing in the PGE1 group was lower than that in the no PGE1 group. The symptoms and signs in PGE1 group were more markedly improved than those in the no PGE1 group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PGE1 is effective in the treatment of chronic pulmonary heart disease in old people at the acute stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000527:Alprostadil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D; D000527:Alprostadil