Loss of response to calcium channel blockers after long-term follow-up treatment in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients with a positive response to acute vasodilator challenge and a clinical response to calcium channel blockers (CCBs) for at least one year are traditionally designated true responders. Nevertheless, little is known about a sustained response to CCBs over longer periods of time. We evaluated the loss of response to CCBs after long-term treatment in a cohort of idiopathic PAH patients previously classified as being true responders. Our data suggest that idiopathic PAH patients can lose clinical response to CCBs even after one year of clinical stability, reinforcing the need for constant multidimensional reevaluation to assess the need for targeted PAH therapies and to classify these patients correctly.