Is there a permanent cure for pulmonary hypertension?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for the past 15 years, which has now affected my whole body. For one and a half years, I have been getting shortness of breath and cough. Last year, when I was admitted to the hospital to get this treated, my doctor advised me to use external oxygen for the long term. Since then, I have been using an oxygen concentrator. Over a month, my shortness of breath and cough have increased, and I am finding difficulty even in speaking.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Both rheumatoid arthritis and pulmonary hypertension are chronic diseases. As there is no permanent cure for it, treatment in such cases aims to control symptoms only. Medicines help only to control the symptoms. You are a known rheumatoid arthritis patient and now have developed idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. Now, to manage breathlessness, you are using long-term oxygen support.

This is just the progression of both diseases, which makes it difficult to manage. At present, you are taking the tablet Sildenafil 20 mg twice daily. I would like to recommend the tablet Ambrisentan (Pulmonext) 5 mg once daily with the tablet Tadalafil 20 mg daily if the liver function test is normal. I strongly suggest you discuss these drugs with your pulmonologist and make sure you are taking the tablet under his guidance only.

Continuous oxygen supplementation should be given to keep oxygen saturation above 95%. Close monitoring of all vital parameters is very important. Regular checkups with the cardiologist for monitoring pulmonary artery pressure are recommended. These medications will help to reduce the need for oxygen to some extent and help to improve exercise intolerance.

As I said, the treatment of PAH (pulmonary arterial hypertension) is very complex and runs long. So, close supervision with a pulmonologist is very important. Monitoring liver and renal function along with the use of these drugs is necessary to avoid side effects. I hope I have addressed your concerns. Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.

I hope this helps.