The effect of sildenafil on the mustard gas induced pulmonary artery hypertension

Background: one of the causes of pulmonary artery hypertension (pah) is mustard gas poisoning, which is a destructive factor in chemical bombs that contaminated iranian soldiersduring iraq-iran war. this study was designed to evaluate the effect of sildenafil, an effective drug for pah, on symptoms of pah caused by mustard gas. methods: in a quasi-experimental study on 20 patients with a history of mustard gas poisoning and pah symptoms, pulmonary artery pressure was measured with a transthoracic echocardiography (tte). patients took a 6-minute walking test (6-mwt), and then, they were treated for 12 weeks with 50 mg dailysildenafil. finally, echocardiography and 6-mwt were repeated. results: all patients were men with a mean age of 42.8±3.9 years. mean pressure of pulmonary artery at the beginning of the study was 37.7±8.2 mmhg, and the walked distance at 6-mwt was 263.3±2.2 meters. after 12 weeks, these values were 29.1±6.5 mmhg, and 291.3±82.3 meters, respectively, which were significantly higher. conclusion: this studyshowed that sildenafil improves mustard gas pah. on the basis of our findings, even a single daily dose of sildenafil can have a good effect on these patients.