Treatment for Pulmonary Hypertension of Left Heart Disease

Marco Guazzi, Alessandra Vitelli, Valentina Labate, Ross Arena

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) secondary to left heart disease is a largely underestimated target of therapy. Except for a specific focus on PH consequences in patients with advanced heart failure (HF) receiving a left ventricular mechanical assist device or candidates for transplantation, prevention and treatment of initial subclinical forms of PH are not considered a priority in the management of this chronic disease population. Nonetheless, there is recent growing evidence supporting a clinical and prognostic role of PH in the elderly and in HF with preserved ejection fraction (pEF). Studies have defined PH-HFpEF as a new entity typically defining the evolving nature of disease. Although the prevalence of PH in these populations is not well-defined, the potential for effective pharmacological approaches that might impact the natural history of the disease starting from earlier stages is promising. However, it should be recognized that pharmacological studies performed to date with traditional pulmonary vasodilators in cohorts with HF and left-sided PH have not been positive, primarily because of concomitant systemic hypotension and hepatic side effects. This evidence along with the lack of studies specifically performed in the elderly and HFpEF often lead Guidelines to give neutral recommendations or even arbitrary assumptions. Recent availability of selective well-tolerated pulmonary vasodilators, such as phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, however, seem to offer a solid background for treating left-sided PH at both early and later stages of the disease process.