What are the treatment options for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension?
Unfortunately there is no cure for primary pulmonary hypertension. There are some treatments that have been found to relieve some of the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease: • Oxygen can be used at home and often helps relieve some of the symptoms of difficult breathing. It is also known to relax the muscles in the arteries of the lungs, which will lower the pressures in the pulmonary arteries. • Calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine can relax the muscles in blood vessel walls and thereby help with the function of the right side of the heart. Unfortunately it also tends to decrease the blood pressure in the entire cardiovascular system, which is sometimes not well tolerated. • Diuretics such as Lasix are used to get rid of excess fluid in the body. These drugs must be used carefully, however, because if a patient gets too dehydrated, the poorly functioning right ventricle will not be able to pump out even a small amount of blood to the lungs and the patient will have
