Prakt. lékáren. 2011; 7(1): 13-15

Current pharmacotherapy for chronic pulmonary hypertension

MUDr.Pavel Jansa, prof.MUDr.Michael Aschermann, DrSc., prof.MUDr.Aleš Linhart, DrSc.

II. interní klinika kardiologie a angiologie, Centrum pro plicní hypertenzi

Všeobecné fakultní nemocnice a 1. lékařské fakulty UK, Praha, ČR

Pulmonary hypertension is a syndrome characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery. Specific pharmacotherapy is mostly

used in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) which is a primary disease of the pulmonary arterioles. In other types of pulmonary

hypertension (pulmonary hypertension in left-heart and lung disease and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension), pharmacotherapy

is less often used. Pharmacotherapy for PAH can be arbitrarily divided into conventional (treatment for heart failure, anticoagulation

treatment) and specific (calcium channel blockers, prostanoids, endotheline receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase-5

inhibitors). Treatment with high-dose calcium channel blockers is only indicated in patients with a positive acute vasoreactivity test.

If the test is negative, specific vasodilator pharmacotherapy such as monotherapy or combination treatment is indicated in addition to

chronic anticoagulation treatment. Perspective therapeutic options for PAH include prostacyclin receptor agonists, activators and

stimulators of soluble guanylate cyclase, statins, serotonin receptor agonists and serotonin transporter blockers, Rho-kinase inhibitors,

vasoactive intestinal peptide or tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.

Keywords: pulmonary arterial hypertension, conventional treatment, specific treatment, calcium channel blockers, prostanoids, endotheline

Published: February 1, 2011  Show citation