November 3rd, 2010 by admin

New uses for existing drugs are discovered every year. These drugs help us treat many incurable conditions, so let’s look at the case of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and one of the better treatment options available.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is a condition that comes about when one has abnormally high blood pressure in the lung’s arteries; as a result of the blood pressure problem, the right side of the heart is worked excessively, potentially resulting in the heart’s failure. In many cases, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension can be fatal.

Causes

There are many causes, though mostly it involves the small arteries of the lung narrowing. Normally, the blood in the right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs at a lower pressure than the left side of the heart pumps blood to the body. However, with smaller arteries, the blood pressure to the lungs must increase and thus the right side of the heart becomes overworked. This may cause the right side of the heart to grow overly large. Ultimately, the heart will fail to function.

Hypertension numbers among its causes:

• Lung disease
• Heart disease
• Genetic defects
• Blood clots in the lungs
• Sleep apnea
• HIV
• Autoimmune diseases
• Low blood-oxygen levels

A number of medications, specifically diet medications, may also cause Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. There may be other causes as well.

If it is unknown what has causes the hypertension, it is “simply” called idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Read the rest of this entry »