The potential effects of pregnancy in a patient with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension responding to calcium channel blockade

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) results in increased pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular failure and premature death. Around half of patients with PAH are diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), where no distinct cause is identified [1, 2]. Patients with IPAH in World Health Organization (WHO) functional classes I–III can be challenged with a vasodilator, such as inhaled nitric oxide, during a right heart catheterisation (RHC) study [3]. "Vasoresponsive" IPAH is universally held to be an excellent prognostic indicator with an entirely different disease course from that in nonresponders [4]. Pregnancy is unequivocally advised against in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) as it has been associated with high rates of maternal and fetal death [1, 2]; however, there are limited reports in vasoresponders.
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Pulmonary vascular disease Original Articles: Correspondence Source Type: research