PULMONARY ARTERIAL
HYPERTENSION (PAH)
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a rare, progressive disorder characterized by high blood pressure (hypertension) in the arteries of the lungs (pulmonary artery) for no apparent reason.
The pulmonary arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from the right side of the heart through the lungs. Symptoms of PAH include shortness of breath (dyspnea) especially during exercise, chest pain, and fainting episodes. The exact cause of PAH is unknown.
There’s no cure for pulmonary hypertension. However, it is important to treat PAH because without treatment, high blood pressure in the lungs causes the right heart to work much harder, and over time, this heart muscle may weaken or fail. The progressive nature of this disease means that an individual may experience only mild symptoms at first, but will eventually require treatment and medical care to maintain a reasonable quality of life.
Chronic subcutaneous infusion of Treprostinil is an effective treatment with an acceptable safety profile in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.