Combination treatment in pulmonary arterial hypertension

: In recent years, there has been a marked improvement in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) due to the development of targeted therapies. There are now several treatment options available--oral, inhaled, and those delivered by subcutaneous or intravenous methods. These treatments have greatly improved patient survival, which in the past was 2.5 years on average. Efficient treatment choice generally proceeds from oral therapies--PDE-5 inhibitors (sildenafil) and endothelin receptor antagonists (bosentan or ambrisentan)--to inhaled prostanoids (iloprost) or subcutaneous (treprostinil). Intravenous prostacyclins are used in treating the more severe cases. The different pathways of action of each class of drugs allow a synergistic effect of combination therapy similar to malignancy or patients in congestive heart failure. The updated treatment algorithm includes combinations of therapies that target different pathways. This article will review the literature regarding combination therapy for the treatment of PAH. Combining PAH therapies that target different pathways is now a well-established treatment option, based on numerous international clinical trials, and offers new hope to patients suffering from this severe disease.