Pulmonary Hypertension in Sickle Cell Disease: Cardiopulmonary Evaluation and Response to Chronic Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitor Therapy.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a risk factor for mortality in Sickle Cell Disease, but it is unclear whether pulmonary hypertension is a marker or a direct cause of mortality. To better understand the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension in patients with sickle cell disease we performed evaluations of cardiopulmonary function in sickle cell disease patients with pulmonary hypertension (n= 15, mean age = 41 ± 2.4 years, males = 7, HbSS = 15, mean Hb = 8.3 ± 0.2 g/dl, mean tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity = 3.2 ± 0.11 m/s) compared to matched controls with sickle cell disease without pulmonary hypertension (n=11, mean age=40.2 ± 2.5 years, males=4, HbSS=11, mean Hb=8.5 ± 0.3 g/dl, mean tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity = 2.28 ± 0.07 m/s). To evaluate if specific therapy for pulmonary hypertension has any impact on systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), estimated by tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRJ), and functional capacity, measured by six-minute walk test (a well validated surrogate of functional capacity and response to therapy in patients with other causes of pulmonary hypertension), we treated 14 patients with sickle cell disease and pulmonary hypertension (mean age = 40 ± 2.5 years, males = 3, HbSS = 14, mean Hb = 8.8 ± 0.6 g/dl, mean TRJ = 3.4 ± 0.1 m/s) with sildenafil for at least three months. When compared to controls pulmonary hypertension patients had lower maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max (% predicted), +PH: 44 ± 4, −PH: 55 ± 4; P=0.41), walked shorter six-minute walk distance (meters, +PH: 308.5 ± 53.8, −PH: 427.1 ± 44.6; P=0.03), demonstrated greater degree of interstitial lung disease by chest CT (P < 0.05), and more perfusion impairments measured by ventilation perfusion scan (P < 0.05). Six-minute walk distance correlated directly with maximal oxygen consumption (R=0.6; P=0.01), and inversely with mean pulmonary arterial pressure (R= −0.5; P=0.03) and tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (R= −0.6;P=0.002), suggesting that the test is an adequate surrogate of functional capacity and response to therapy in pulmonary hypertension patients with sickle cell disease. Chronic treatment with sildenafil (up to 100 mg TID) decreased pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP mmHg, baseline: 50 ± 4.4, sildenafil: 41 ± 2.5; P=0.04) and increased six-minute walk distance (meters, baseline: 394 ± 31, sildenafil: 476 ± 26: P= 0.02). Sildenafil was well tolerated with only 2 patients stopping the drug due to headaches. We also observed 3 episodes of transient eyelid edema not requiring discontinuation of drug. Priapism was not observed in the 3 males treated (2 on exchange transfusion therapy, 1 with erectile dysfunction).

In conclusion, we find that in patients with sickle cell disease, 1) pulmonary hypertension, though relatively mild, is associated with severe impairments in cardiopulmonary function, 2) traditional markers of functional capacity such as six-minute walk test can be utilized in this population as a therapeutic endpoint for clinical trials, 3) and therapy with sildenafil seems to have a favorable impact on pulmonary pressures and functional capacity.