TY - JOUR
T1 - Palliative care in pulmonary arterial hypertension
T2 - An underutilised treatment
AU - Khirfan, Ghaleb
AU - Tonelli, Adriano R.
AU - Ramsey, Jennifer
AU - Sahay, Sandeep
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©ERS 2018.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition characterised by increased pulmonary vascular resistance which can lead to right heart failure and premature death. It imposes a significant burden on patients’ lives, affecting their physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Pharmacological therapies are the mainstay of treatment; while they are not curative, they can alleviate patient suffering, improve quality of life and delay disease progression. Despite these therapies, disease progresses in a significant number of patients, who are faced with the debilitating symptoms of PAH and treatment adverse effects. Palliative care is focused on providing relief from symptoms caused by a chronic illness. Palliative care aims to improve the health-related quality of life for patients and families, and although it is deemed appropriate at any stage of disease, it is most helpful when explored early in the course of disease. Importantly, palliative care can be provided in concert with pharmacological treatment. Despite its potential benefits, palliative care is frequently underutilised. There is a paucity of clinical studies testing the impact of palliative care in PAH which prompted us to summarise the available evidence, recognise obstacles in its utilisation and identify areas for future research.
AB - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition characterised by increased pulmonary vascular resistance which can lead to right heart failure and premature death. It imposes a significant burden on patients’ lives, affecting their physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Pharmacological therapies are the mainstay of treatment; while they are not curative, they can alleviate patient suffering, improve quality of life and delay disease progression. Despite these therapies, disease progresses in a significant number of patients, who are faced with the debilitating symptoms of PAH and treatment adverse effects. Palliative care is focused on providing relief from symptoms caused by a chronic illness. Palliative care aims to improve the health-related quality of life for patients and families, and although it is deemed appropriate at any stage of disease, it is most helpful when explored early in the course of disease. Importantly, palliative care can be provided in concert with pharmacological treatment. Despite its potential benefits, palliative care is frequently underutilised. There is a paucity of clinical studies testing the impact of palliative care in PAH which prompted us to summarise the available evidence, recognise obstacles in its utilisation and identify areas for future research.
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U2 - 10.1183/16000617.0069-2018
DO - 10.1183/16000617.0069-2018
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30567933
AN - SCOPUS:85058902866
SN - 0905-9180
VL - 27
JO - European Respiratory Review
JF - European Respiratory Review
IS - 150
M1 - 180069
ER -