The progress of our understanding of pulmonary vascular disease and treatment options

International Conference and Exhibition on Lung Disorders & Therapeutics

July 13-15, 2015 Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Wassim H Fares

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Pulm Respir Med

Abstract :

Pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) is a progressive and potentially fatal disease. Our understanding of PVD has significantly improved over the last 2 decades. This understanding of the different pathophysiologic pathways that lead to PVD has led to the successful development of multiple effective therapeutic interventions. Although this is in general an incurable disease, these therapies are able to control the disease, improve quality of life, and potentially prolong survival. Not all pulmonary vascular diseases are the same. The above mentioned therapies are effective for only one sub-group of pulmonary hypertension (PH): The one classified by the World Health Organization as WHO group 1 PH. This WHO classification of PH is not perfect and there is a lot of overlap in the clinical and pathophysiologic features of the different groups, however it is this classification that facilitated research trials enrollment that lead to effective therapeutics. Better phenotyping of PVD is much needed. The 3 successfully targeted pathways in pulmonary vascular disease in WHO group 1 PH are the Nitric Oxide, Endothelin-1, and prostanoid pathways. The primary effect of the approved drugs targeting these different pathways is vasodilation, although many of them have supplementary but secondary potential effects, such as anti-platelets and/or anti-inflammatory effects. Drugs targeting the primary pathologic processes in WHO group 1 PH are still lacking, and thatâ??s a major reason why a cure has not been identified yet. In summary, although progress has been made, we still have ways to go to better understand and treat pulmonary vascular disease.