Sustained Improvement in Primary Pulmonary Hypertension during Six Years of Treatment with Sublingual Isoproterenol

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 310; no. 16; pp. 1032 - 1034
• Main Authors: Pietro, Daniel A, LaBresh, Kenneth A, Shulman, Robert M, Folland, Edward D, Parisi, Alfred F, Sasahara, Arthur A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 19.04.1984
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Case reports; Coronary artery; Drug dosages; Dyspnea; Edema; Heart; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary - drug therapy; Hypertension, Pulmonary - physiopathology; Intubation; Isoproterenol; Isoproterenol - administration & dosage; Male; Medical sciences; Patients; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pulmonary arteries; Pulmonary artery; Pulmonary hypertension; Respiratory system; Respiratory therapy; Human; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Sublingual administration; Pulmonary vascular disease; Β-Adrenergic receptor agonist; Long term; Pulmonary hypertension
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM198404193101606

PRIMARY pulmonary hypertension is a devastating disease, which usually results in death three to seven years after the onset of symptoms. In selected patients symptomatic improvement for up to two to three years has been reported with drug regimens that lower pulmonary-artery pressure. Unfortunately, progression of pulmonary hypertension almost always continues, regardless of the initial, apparently beneficial hcmodynamic effects. This report demonstrates sustained relief of symptoms and improvements in exercise capacity and pulmonary hemodynamics during six years of therapy with sublingual isoproterenol. Case Report A 36-year-old man was in good health until September 1976, when he had exercise-induced dyspnea and . . .