Medical therapy of pulmonary hypertension. An overview of treatment and goals.

Therapeutic medical advances over the past two decades have resulted in significant improvements in the outcome for patients with various forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. As the current understanding of the pathology and pathobiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension has moved forward, rationale for additional therapeutic modalities with novel therapeutic agents has led to increased clinical investigations. A brief overview of the pathology and pathobiology is presented as background for an introduction to the current medical therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension as well as the goals for future treatment.