title: Low-dose epoprostenol improved pulmonary hypertension in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: A 43-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital in 1997 because of Raynaud's phenomenon. Systemic lupus erythematosus was diagnosed on the basis of the presence of antinuclear antibody (1:1,280), anti-DNA antibody (1:640), anti-Sm antibody, antiphospholipid antibody, lymphopenia, and proteinuria. She developed pulmonary fibrosis in 1999 and pulmonary hypertension in 2001. In October 2002, a 24-hr continuous infusion of epoprostenol was started. Dyspnea, Raynaud's phenomenon, and pulmonary hypertension improved with low-dose epoprostenol (3.0 to 4.0 ng kg(-1) min(-1)). The patient could not tolerate larger doses of epoprostenol so 4.0 ng kg(-1) min(-1) was selected as the maintenance dose. The clinical course was uneventful at this dosage. It appears that pulmonary hypertension can be controlled with low-dose epoprostenol such as 3.0 to 4.0 ng kg(-1) min(-1) in some rheumatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Oyaguchi-Kamimachi, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan. m-2000@mbk.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsukawa
authors.forename: Kohmei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Igei
authors.forename: Takamasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nozaki
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohki
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Ko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mitamura
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasamaki
authors.forename: Shigemasa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sawada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D011464:Epoprostenol