Take a deep breath: understanding pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Many people throughout the world are living with a severe pulmonary disease, known as pulmonary arterial hypertension. This disease has various etiologies and is often not diagnosed appropriately or early in the disease process, leading to limited, long-term survival. Fortunately in the past 20 years, medications and other options have been developed that provide patients with life-prolonging treatments that also increase their quality of life. Pathophysiology, disease identification and classification, and treatment options, focusing on current pharmacological treatments, are discussed in this article.