How is pulmonary hypertension treated?
The treatment of pulmonary hypertension mainly focuses on identifying the cause. For idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, treatment primarily targets vascular constriction, endothelial damage, thrombus formation, and heart failure. This is to restore the tension, resistance, and pressure of the pulmonary vessels, improve the patient's sexual function, increase cardiac output, and improve quality of life. The main treatments include: 1. Drug therapy, which includes calcium channel blockers, prostacyclin, nitric oxide, endothelin receptor antagonists, and related anticoagulants. Anticoagulants do not improve symptoms, but can slow down disease progression and improve prognosis in some aspects. However, in cases of right heart failure, hepatic congestion, and ascites, cardiotonic diuretics are used, such as digoxin and anti-calcium channel blockers, which can cause adverse reactions like decreased myocardial contractility. But these drugs should be administered under the guidance of a doctor. In advanced stages of pulmonary arterial hypertension, heart-lung transplantation may be considered.