New perspectives in pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment: 2009 European recommendations

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one of the most severe cardiovascular disorders. It is characterised by progressing clinical course, right ventricular failure development, and very poor prognosis. In September 2009, the European Society of Cardiology and the European Respiratory Society released a new revision of clinical recommendations on pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnostics and treatment. The recommendations review the evidence for supportive therapy (oral anticoagulants, diuretics, digitalis medications, and oxygen), specific therapy (calcium antagonists, prostanoids, endothelin receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors), and surgery. Modern pharmaceutical approaches, including specific therapy medications and their combinations, could increase the effectiveness of PH treatment and improve PH prognosis. The meta-analysis of 23 randomised trials demonstrated that in PAH patients, specific therapy (mean duration 14,3 weeks) decreased mortality and hospitalisation rates by 43% and 61%, respectively. In other countries, specific therapy medications are included into targeted treatment programs. In Russia, only bosentan is officially recommended for PAH treatment, while the registration of inhaled iloprost and sildenafil citrate is expected in the nearest future.

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