According to research and studies which are on-going, there is reason to hope the prognosis for individuals with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension is variable. Individuals with PPH report they can go about their daily lives by incorporating changes to their lifestyles. Although the survival rate is longer for those without heart failure as well as for those who are diagnosed by a PPH doctor after the age of 40, the survival rate in general is approximately three years.



The dialogue and research continue for those who are diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. Unfortunately, the cause of this dreaded disease is still unknown. While Primary Pulmonary Hypertension is a well described but poorly understood illness, it is nonetheless a disease of the small muscular pulmonary arteries in which lesions involving cells obstruct flow.

Although there is current therapy using vasodilator drugs, especially calcium channel blockers, which have improved the quality of life in a minority of patients; heart-lung transplantation is feasible for only a few. The study of vascular biology in the last several years is likely to provide insight into the cause and cure of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. The areas involved include the cell biology of pulmonary vascular cells. According to researchers, the future looks bright for understanding and treating this difficult and ambiguous disease.

New therapeutic approaches in Primary Pulmonary Hypertension are targeting how to improve drug delivery. The results in patients who have been treated with epoprostenol suggest that Primary Pulmonary Hypertension can be reversed. This is one such drug that is being studied in depth.

Moreover, treatments which are now being developed include thromboxane-systhesis inhibitors and receptor antagonists, specific phosphodiesterase inhibitors, endothelin-receptor antagonists, and prostacyclin analogues. Cicaprost, which is an oral prostacyclin and is used in Japan, is being studied for its long term efficacy. Inhalation therapy with iloprost is being tested in a large study in Europe.

A new long-acting analogue of prostacyclin called 15AU81 is also under development. Another study revealed that improved survival with the drug Remodulin therapy rose as much as 68% for a 4 year survival rate.

Newer vasodilator agents and modes of administration continue to evolve and improve the quality of life of individuals suffering with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. For patients with severe and symptomatic pulmonary hypertension, unresponsive to medical therapy, lung transplantation continues to be an effective, life-saving therapy.

While treatment in individuals with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension is critical, the prognosis has been already defined. The problem, however, stems from the fact that the onset of symptoms is latent, albeit 10 years, and for those who do not show any symptoms, especially those individuals who took Fen-Phen as a weight loss supplement. There is no way to determine if one has been affected by the disease.

Although there is certainly enough evidence to support the assertion that Fen-Phen was the primary cause of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, the difficulty in diagnosing it in an early stage by a PPH doctor is impossible.

Certainly one can notify their PPH doctor that they have been taking the drug Fen-Phen, and perhaps monitoring the individual on a regular basis can help in determining if PPH is present. Unfortunately, the only way to actually determine if the disease is present is through a series of tests and waiting it out.

The old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" seems apropos at this time. In cases where Fen-Phen was consumed by the public, they can certainly contact a PPH lawyer to discuss litigation. Moreover, in those cases where pregnant moms took anti-depressants which resulted in a birth defect to their newborns, this too can be litigated by a PPH lawyer.

While current resources are available to any individual suffering with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, it doesn't negate the fact that their long term prognosis, as of this moment, is not great. One would hope that all of the research that is on-going throughout the US and the world will come to find a drug or a cure at some point.

File a lawsuit with a PPH lawyer is important in several respects. It puts the pharmaceutical companies on notice that more studies and trials should be conducted to ensure the drugs they sell will not ultimately harm the user. While these companies continue to dole out drugs, for which side effects are ever present, people are suffering ill affects and are at the mercy of the doctors.

In the case of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, consulting a PPH lawyer is not only vital, but should be a mandatory action taken by everyone who has ever been affected by a drug or an anti-depressant that has caused severe illness or loss of life.