Improved survival of Korean patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension after the introduction of targeted therapies

ObjectivesWe compared the survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), receiving conventional and targeted therapies.BackgroundIPAH is an incurable disease with high mortality. To manage IPAH, several targeted therapies have been used in Korea.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study of 71 patients diagnosed with IPAH in a tertiary hospital between January 1994 and February 2013. Patients were classified into “conventional therapy group” (treated with conventional therapies and/or beraprost) and “targeted therapy group” (treated with targeted therapies other than beraprost).ResultsThe median age of the patients was 33 years and 50 patients were female. The survival rate at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years was 80.1% 62.0%, 51.5%, and 26.8%, respectively. The survival rate in the targeted therapy group was greater than in the conventional therapy group (p-value = 0.026).ConclusionsWe believe targeted therapies would improve survival benefits in IPAH patients.