Predictors of the response to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in pulmonary arterial hypertension: an analysis of the Spanish registry.

BACKGROUND: Achieving and maintaining a low-risk profile is associated with favorable outcome in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The effects of treatment on risk profile are variable among patients. OBJECTIVE: To Identify variables that might predict the response to treatment with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) in PAH. METHODS: We carried out a cohort analysis of the Spanish PAH registry in 830 patients diagnosed with PAH that started PDE5i treatment and had > 1 year follow-up. 644 patients started PDE-5i either in mono- or add-on therapy and 186 started combined treatment with PDE-5i and endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA). Responders were considered when at 1 year they: (1) were alive; (2) did not present clinical worsening; and (3) improved European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society (ESC/ERS) risk score or remained in low-risk. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze variables associated with a favorable response. RESULTS: Two hundred and ten patients (33%) starting PDE-5i alone were classified as responders, irrespective of whether it was mono- or add-on therapy. In addition to known predictors of PAH outcome (low-risk at baseline, younger age), male sex and diagnosis of portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) or HIV-PAH were independent predictors of favorable response to PDE-5i. Diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) ≤ 40% of predicted was associated with an unfavorable response. When PDE-5i were used in upfront combination, 58% of patients were responders. In this group, diagnosis of idiopathic PAH (IPAH) was an independent predictor of favorable response, whereas connective tissue disease-PAH was associated with an unfavorable response. CONCLUSION: Male sex and diagnosis of PoPH or HIV-PAH are predictors of favorable effect of PDE-5i on risk profile when used as mono- or add-on therapy. Patients with IPAH respond more favorably to PDE-5i when used in upfront combination. These results identify patient profiles that may respond favorably to PDE-5i in monotherapy and those who might benefit from alternative treatment strategies.

Prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers based on random breath tests in a roadside survey in Catalonia (Spain).

Sobriety checkpoints are not usually randomly located by traffic authorities. As such, information provided by non-random alcohol tests cannot be used to infer the characteristics of the general driving population. In this paper a case study is presented in which the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving is estimated for the general population of drivers. A stratified probabilistic sample was designed to represent vehicles circulating in non-urban areas of Catalonia (Spain), a region characterized by its complex transportation network and dense traffic around the metropolis of Barcelona. Random breath alcohol concentration tests were performed during spring 2012 on 7596 drivers. The estimated prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers was 1.29%, which is roughly a third of the rate obtained in non-random tests. Higher rates were found on weekends (1.90% on Saturdays and 4.29% on Sundays) and especially at night. The rate is higher for men (1.45%) than for women (0.64%) and it shows an increasing pattern with age. In vehicles with two occupants, the proportion of alcohol-impaired drivers is estimated at 2.62%, but when the driver was alone the rate drops to 0.84%, which might reflect the socialization of drinking habits. The results are compared with outcomes in previous surveys, showing a decreasing trend in the prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers over time.