The effect of sildenafil on the pulmonary artery hypertension caused by Mustard gas

Abstract

Background: One of the causes of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is mustard gas poisoning. Mustard gas is a destroying factor in chemical Bumps that contaminated Iranian soldiers in the war between Iran and Iraq. This study was designed for evaluating the effect of sildenafil, (one of the effective drug in PAH) on the PAH caused by Mustard gas. Methods: In a quasi experimental study on 20 patients poisoned with mustard gas and symptomatic PAH, pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was measured with transthorasic echocardiography (TTE). Patients did 6 minutes walking test (6 MWT); then, they were treated for 12 weeks with 50 mg sildenafil, daily. At the end, echocardiography and 6 MWT were repeated. Findings: All the patients were men with mean age 42.89 ± 3.91 years old. Mean pressure of pulmonary artery at the beginning of the study was 37.75 ± 8.21 mmHg and walked distance at 6 MWT was 263.35 ± 2.28 meter. These values after 12 weeks treatment were 29.10 ± 6.55 mmHg and 291.35 ± 82.39 meter, that wee statistically meaningful improvement. Conclusion: There are studies demonstrate the effect of sildenafil in improving PAH. This study also reveals that sildenafil improves mustard gas PAH. According to the results, even single daily dose of sildenafil can has good effect on these patients. Key words: Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), mustard gas poisoning, sildenafil.