Abstract

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease characterized by an elevation in pulmonary artery pressure that can lead to right ventricular failure and death. The pulmonary circulation has to accommodate the entire cardiac output in each cardiac cycle and evolution has adapted to this by making it a low-pressure high-flow system. However, pathology can affect both the arterial and venous components of this system. Pulmonary venous hypertension mainly refers to diseases that result in elevated venous pressure and occurs mainly from mitral valve and left-sided heart disease. Standard treatment options include oral anticoagulation, diuretics, oxygen supplementation, and for a small percentage of patients, calcium channel blockers. Newer treatments include prostacyclin analogues, endothelin receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. This article reviews the current treatments strategies for PAH and provides guidelines for its management.