There are a number of drugs which can help individuals suffering with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. Although it must be noted that not every drug may work, and may have side effects which may involve changing dosage or opting for other drugs until the proper one is found to work. If you have been diagnosed with PPH by your PPH specialist, he will no doubt perform a catheterization to determine which drugs are appropriate for you.

The following drugs are currently available and/or being further studied:

* Prostacyclin is a drug which is administered intravenously.

* Treprostinil is a drug which is also given as a continuous infusion under the skin.

* Calcium blockers help to relax the muscles in the blood vessels.

* Anticoagulants help to prevent the blood from clotting.

* Diurectics help to remove excess fluid from body tissues.

* Oxygen can be used to enter the bloodstream.

* Remodulin is given as an injection and helps to regulate the size of the blood vessels. It is also helpful in alleviating symptoms caused by increased exercise.

* Flolan is given as an injection 24/7, and is similar to Remodulin in is efficacy.

* Tracleer helps to improve breathing and the ability to exercise.

* Iloprost can be inhaled through a nebulizer.

* Viagra improves the condition of PPH individuals by allowing the arteries to open.

* Revatio controls the narrowness or wideness of blood vessels in the lining of the lungs.

* Ambrisentan appears to be helpful for individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

As with any drug, it is important for you and your PPH specialist to determine the efficacy of these drugs; which drugs cause serious side effects; and the treatment options associated with these drugs.

In the event the Primary Pulmonary Hypertension increases damage to a lung, the PPH specialist will probably discuss the second option, which is a lung transplant. It may be worthy to note that the first heart-lung transplant was performed in 1981. Many of these operations were performed for patients with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.

However, the single lung transplant is the most common method of transplant used in cases of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. This procedure involves the replacement of one lung; either the right or left.

This procedure was first performed in 1983 in patients who had pulmonary fibrosis. There are also cases in which double lung transplants are also done to treat Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, but are less common than the single lung transplant for treatment of PPH.

While there are fewer complications with the single lung transplant than with the heart-lung transplant, the survival rate is 70 percent for one year. It has also been reported that the ability of the right ventricle to heal itself is noteworthy. In patients with lung transplants, both the structure and function of the right ventricle dramatically improve.

While there can be complications associated with lung transplants including rejection by the body of the transplanted organ, as well as infection, there are risks with any surgery that involves removal and transplant of major organs. Those who have had lung transplants are required to take medications for life in order to reduce their body’s immune system’s ability to reject the new organ.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment that can stop the progression of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, however, the existing treatments can aid in slowing the disease’s progression and improve an individual’s quality of life. Treatment, therefore, is critical because without it, patients live less then five years.

This is why seeking a PPH specialist is so important.

While new studies on the treatment of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension are on-going, it is necessary to mention not only the cost of treatment, but the determining factor which caused PPH in the first place.

It is a well documented that Fen-Phen ultimately caused this disease, and litigation is on-going. The problem with those who have taken this weight suppressant is that the effects of the drug do not normally show up for ten years. Thus, you can imagine the anxiety of those individuals who have taken this drug, only to be informed it causes Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.

It is highly recommended if you do show signs of PPH, that you first contact a PPH specialist to determine the cause of your symptoms, and then contact a PPH attorney who can file a lawsuit on your behalf. While this disease may alter your life, the costs involved in treatment and possible surgery are incalculable.

Originally posted 2010-01-06 06:35:28. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Related posts:

1. Treatment for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) pt. 2
2. Treatment for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) pt.1
3. Causes and Treatment of Hypertension

The term primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), although it’s now being used less in the medical realm in favor of the term idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, is still a term used readily in literature as well as in the general public, and refers to pulmonary hypertension that has an unknown or unverified cause.

PPH has many possible causes, but because the term primary pulmonary hypertension was coined due to the fact that its cause is unknown, specific causes are difficult to pinpoint. Causes of the different types of pulmonary hypertension in general can include left heart failure, congenital heart disease, lung diseases, HIV and other autoimmune disorders, pulmonary embolism, and genetics.

One of the biggest suspected causes of primary pulmonary hypertension is the use of certain anti-obesity and weight-loss pills, such as Fen-Phen, which the FDA took off the market in September 1997 after reports linked it to pulmonary hypertension and other conditions.

If you have primary pulmonary hypertension, you’ll want to consider an effective PPH treatment. One of the most popular and beneficial PPH treatments is an FDA-approved drug called Tracleer. Why is this treatment so beneficial? Tracleer treatment, produced by Patheon Inc. and marketed by Actelion Pharmaceuticals, is a vasodilator drug in tablet form that is taken orally in order to help block the effects of endothelin, a vasoconstrictor naturally found in the body to shrink blood vessels, but is found in much higher concentrations in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension.

In addition, PPH treatment using this helps to relax the lung’s blood vessels as well as increase the level of oxygen in the blood. For patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, what this means in a practical sense is that they are able to perform regular activities at an improved level, without becoming fatigued, dizzy, or short of breath right away, and they are able to tolerate exercise more.

However, like all drugs, including others used for PPH treatment, it does have a number of side-effects that patients taking it or considering its use should become aware of. Some of the more common side-effects associated with this treatment include headaches, nasal congestion, flushing out, passing out, and even abnormally low blood pressure.

The most serious possible side-effect associated with this treatment, however, involves the liver. Tracleer can actually impair normal liver function, and even cause liver damage, which may or may not be permanent in nature. As a result, patients with primary pulmonary hypertension on this treatment require monthly blood tests of the liver’s function.

In addition to side-effects, Tracleer treatment also has one major contraindication: pregnant women or women who may be or are trying to become pregnant must not take it, as this particularly form of PPH treatment has been proven to be teratogenic (known to harm a fetus, cause birth defects, or miscarriage).

Therefore, in addition to monthly liver blood tests, female patients on it must take monthly pregnancy tests in case pregnancy occurs, at which point it must be stopped immediately. Further, if you’re a female on Tracleer treatment and you’re using a hormonal method of birth control, you will also have to supplement with a barrier method (like condoms) because it has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, patches, rings, injections, and implants.

While this treatment often has more side-effects and potential complications than other types of PPH treatment, such as Flolan and Remodulin (two of the other most common types of PPH treatment), it is the preferred type for many because of its convenience in that it can be taken orally.

Patients with primary pulmonary hypertension may wish to talk to their doctors about different types of PPH treatment, including Tracleer treatment. It is available by prescription only and should only be taken under a doctor’s advice and directions.

If you have pulmonary hypertension with an unknown cause, and you believe you may have developed primary pulmonary hypertension because of your use of the anti-obesity, weight-loss pill Fen-Phen, then in addition to asking your doctor about Tracleer treatment, it is recommended you seek the legal counsel from a reputable law firm or PPH attorney specializing in Fen-Phen litigation cases. You may qualify for compensation.

Originally posted 2009-11-11 08:50:37. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Related posts:

1. Treatment for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) pt.1
2. Treatment Options: Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
3. Causes and Treatment of Hypertension

This, in turn, results in a myriad of unpleasant symptoms ranging from lightheadedness and dizziness to fainting spells and shortness of breath or breathing difficulties, and is marked by a dramatically reduced physical activity and exercise tolerance.

Although there are many different types (venous, hypoxic, arterial, thromboembolic, or primary) as well as specific causes (ranging from pulmonary embolism, heart disorders, and autoimmune disorders to genetics and the use of certain weight-loss pills) of pulmonary hypertension, the condition known as primary pulmonary hypertension, or PPH, refers to pulmonary hypertension with a cause that is unknown or unproven in nature.

However, one specific cause that has often been linked to primary pulmonary hypertension is the use of Fen-Phen, a popular weight-loss and anti-obesity pill until the FDA took it off the market in 1997 after more and more reports surfaced, linking its use to the potential development of primary pulmonary hypertension.

Effective PPH treatment is essential if you have primary pulmonary hypertension, no matter why or how you developed this disorder. Flolan, a vasodilator FDA-approved drug as well as a natural form of prostacyclin produced by Glaxo Wellcome, Inc., is one of the more common choices for PPH treatment for a number of reasons. It works by relaxing the lungs’ blood vessels, slowing down the production of cell growth and scar tissue there, preventing the vessels from narrowing, and increasing oxygen in the blood.

Patients who take this treatment notice an improvement in their level of physical activity and exercise, and it may prolong their lives. This treatment is also considered an alternative to having a lung transplant. Finally, because it is a natural form of PPH treatment, Flolan is often preferred over other types of PPH treatment.

However, it is not taken as an oral tablet to treat primary pulmonary hypertension; it is actually quite a bit more complicated than that. Instead, the body receives it intravenously via a catheter through a vein in the chest leading to the heart.

The drug is then pumped into the patient’s system slowly but continuously through a battery-operated pump generally carried inside a little shoulder pack or worn on the belt. In addition, Flolan is natural and therefore has a short shelf life, meaning it must be mixed daily as well as refrigerated. The fact that it is generally considered to be inconvenient for some to use is one of the drug’s biggest complaints.

However, because it is a natural, biological substance and agent, using this treatment has fewer and less serious side-effects than other types of PPH treatment, such as Tracleer. The most common side-effects associated with Flolan include headaches, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, jaw pain, and flushing. Very rarely do infections occur within the catheter, but when they do occur, hospitalization and replacement may be necessary.

It is often compared to other types of PPH treatment and drugs used for primary pulmonary hypertension, the most common of which are Remodulin and Tracleer. Flolan and Remodulin are quite similar in a number of ways (how they work and side-effects), but while Remodulin lasts longer than Flolan and does not need to be mixed or refrigerated daily, the location of the injection (abdominal area) must be changed often, and significant pain can develop in the injection area.

Tracleer is considered much more convenient to take than Flolan because Tracleer is taken orally as a tablet; however, it does have more and more serious side-effects, particularly related to the liver.

If Flolan treatment sounds like something that would work well for you in your lifestyle and situation and for treating your primary pulmonary hypertension, talk to your doctor about taking it to find out if it’s right for you. Keep in mind that it does require a prescription.

If you have personally used Fen-Phen as a drug to help you lose weight (particularly substantial amounts of weight) in the past and you now suffer from primary pulmonary hypertension and require PPH treatment, there could very well be a link between the two. Did you know that law firms specializing in cases like these can help you? Contact an established law firm that specializes in helping patients who have used Fen-Phen diet pills and now may have primary pulmonary hypertension or other medical condition or complication as a result.

Originally posted 2009-11-25 07:33:56. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Related posts:

1. Treatment for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH) pt. 2
2. Treatment Options: Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
3. Causes and Treatment of Hypertension