Cardiology Division and Department of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cardiovasc Toxicol. 2012 Jun;12(2):180-3. doi: 10.1007/s12012-012-9153-3.
Leflunomide, a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, has been shown to be effective in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among other side effects, systemic hypertension has been described, and also a case of possible pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been reported. Symptomatic PH in RA is rare. We present a 28-year-old woman with a history of RA who consulted our hospital because of severe symptomatic pulmonary hypertension. Two years before admission, she was started on leflunomide. Due to previous evidence of the association of leflunomide with pulmonary hypertension, the drug was stopped. The patient became asymptomatic with normal pulmonary arterial pressure within a year. Given the poor prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, the recognition of potentially reversible causes is crucial. Until further evidence is available in a patient who develops pulmonary arterial hypertension, stopping leflunomide should be considered.
来氟米特是一种改善病情的抗风湿药物，已被证明可有效治疗类风湿关节炎 (RA)。除其他副作用外，还曾有过系统性高血压的描述，也有报告称可能存在肺动脉高压 (PH)。RA 相关的症状性 PH 较为罕见。我们报告了一例 28 岁女性 RA 病史，因严重的症状性 PH 就诊我院。两年前，她开始服用来氟米特。由于之前有证据表明来氟米特与肺动脉高压相关，故停用了该药物。一年后，患者无症状且肺动脉压正常。鉴于特发性肺动脉高压的预后较差，识别潜在的可逆转病因至关重要。在出现肺动脉高压的患者中，在获得进一步证据之前，应考虑停用来氟米特。
