Treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease that leads to right heart failure and premature death. Historically, we are restricted by limited options for drug treatment. Over the past decade, with advances in our understanding of pathophysiological and molecular mechanisms, many new therapeutic strategies (synthetic prostacyclin and prostacyclin analogues, endothelin receptor antagonists and sildenafil) have been developed for the treatment of PAH, and the clinical efficacy has been tested in many randomized-controlled trials (RCTs). In this overview, we review the evidence for the use of historical and new treatments that arises from the Cochrane Collaboration of Systematic Reviews and from recent RCTs.
The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050031, People's Republic of China. dr_chaoliu@yahoo.com.cn
Chao
C
Liu
Kunshen
K
Liu
Zhenguo
Z
Ji
Gang
G
Liu
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011687:Purines; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013450:Sulfones; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D010879:Piperazines; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D011687:Purines; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin; D013450:Sulfones; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D011464:Epoprostenol