A Study of Aspirin and Simvastatin in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

PAH is characterized by dyspnea, fatigue, and lower extremity edema as a result of heart failure. In PAH, in situ thrombosis may occur in the lungs, and pulmonary endothelial dysfunction is well-recognized. As aspirin inhibits platelet aggregation, there may be value in using aspirin to treat PAH. Simvastatin has beneficial effects on blood vessels in other types of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, simvastatin may similarly benefit patients with PAH. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive 6 months of daily placebo tablets, daily aspirin and daily placebo, daily simvastatin and daily placebo, or daily aspirin and daily simvastatin in a double-blind fashion. The study will compare the safety and efficacy of aspirin to placebo and simvastatin to placebo.