Long-term favourable effect of nifedipine in primary pulmonary hypertension. Report of a case with hemodynamic evaluation after 3 and after 16 months and with clinical follow-up during 36 months.

The favourable effect of long-term (36 months) treatment with nifedipine in a case of primary pulmonary hypertension is described. While clinical improvement was quick, pulmonary hemodynamic data were unchanged after 3 months of treatment, when acute administration of the drug showed a significant fall in pulmonary resistances. After 16 months of treatment a consistent decrease of pulmonary artery pressure was found, suggesting a selective favourable effect of the drug on the pulmonary circulation. The association with systemic arterial hypertension, whose onset was near contemporaneous with pulmonary hypertension, might indicate a common vasoconstrictive pathogenetic mechanism.