Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension News and Research

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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition involving high blood pressure and structural changes in the walls of the pulmonary arteries, which are the blood vessels that connect the right side of the heart to the lungs. Affecting people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds - but most commonly found in young women of child-bearing years - the disease has historically been chronic and incurable, with a poor survival rate. PAH is often not diagnosed in a timely manner because its early symptoms can be confused with those of many other pulmonary and respiratory conditions. Symptoms include shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, dizziness, fainting, swollen ankles and legs and chest pain (especially during physical activity). With proper diagnosis, there are currently several therapies to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life for PAH patients. The key is to find a PAH specialist and pursue immediate treatment.

An ActRIIA fusion protein got FDA approved for PAH treatment

On March 26th, the US FDA granted approval for Merck’s WINREVAIR™ (sotatercept-csrk), marking a significant milestone in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment. PAH, characterized by elevated blood pressure in the arteries connecting the heart and lungs, poses a grave risk of heart failure.

From Sino Biological Inc. 28 Mar 2024

Innovative robotic right ventricle developed to mimic heart biomechanics

Researchers modeled the right ventricle (RV) to create a robot replicating right ventricular hemodynamics and biomechanics.

13 Dec 2023

Unlocking ACE2: The enzyme that links COVID-19, heart disease, and diabetes

A recent study in the Journal of Biomedical Science examines the critical role of ACE2, an enzyme involved in blood volume and electrolyte balance, in chronic diseases like cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and COVID-19. The research suggests that ACE2 could serve as both a disease severity biomarker and a therapeutic target.

28 Aug 2023

New method of insulin delivery lowers the risk of hypoglycemia compared to current diabetes treatments

Insulin production has, for the last 50 or so years, come with some risks to the patient. Even so, the medication is lifesaving for the estimated 537 million adults living with diabetes worldwide, with that number expected to grow.

15 Jun 2023

Study finds improved survival in patients with SLE-associated PAH

A team from Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, have explored changes in the characteristics, treatment, and 5-year survival for SLE-associated PAH in the last decade, and possible reasons for survival change.

2 Jun 2023

CardioGen upgrade facilitates more accurate diagnosis of monogenic cardiovascular diseases

Over 2,800 cases, representing a 31% increase, added to BGI Genomics-led CardioGen's hereditary cardiovascular disease gene data.

From BGI Genomics 1 Jun 2023

ACE2: its diverse functions, relationship with SARS-CoV-2, and the implications for COVID-19 disease sequelae

Researchers assessed the role of ACE2 in the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Mar 2023

Addition of sotatercept to existing therapy shows promise for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a severe, progressive condition that affects the heart and lungs, who were treated with the novel first-in-class medication sotatercept on top of existing therapy experienced significant improvements in walking distance via a six-minute walking test—the study's primary endpoint and a validated surrogate for functional improvement and reduced symptom burden.

6 Mar 2023

Fixed-dose combination therapy provides better results than monotherapy for pulmonary hypertension

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs, also called PAH) had approximately double the reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) if they took the PAH medications macitentan (10 mg) and tadalafil (40 mg) together in a single tablet rather than either drug alone, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology.

6 Mar 2023

New biomaterial allows for treating damaged tissue from the inside out

A new biomaterial that can be injected intravenously, reduces inflammation in tissue and promotes cell and tissue repair.

30 Jan 2023

Powerful microscopy tool sheds light on the origins of arterial biomass in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and incurable disease of the lung arteries that causes early death.

20 Jan 2023

Wearable activity tracker data can be used to obtain metrics associated with user's physical health

A new Johns Hopkins study shows that data gathered from wearable activity trackers can be used to obtain several metrics associated with the user's general physical health and cardiovascular health status.

20 Nov 2022

New guidelines recommend earlier detection and treatment of pulmonary hypertension

Earlier detection of pulmonary hypertension in the community and expedited referral of high-risk or complex patients are recommended in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, published online today in European Heart Journal and the European Respiratory Journal.

26 Aug 2022

Patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and moderate to severe ARDS treated with sildenafil

A new study published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia aimed to determine whether sildenafil could improve gaseous exchange in patients with COVID-19 ARDS with pulmonary hypertension, RV dysfunction, or both.

17 May 2022

Study reveals underlying signaling pathway that results in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a type of high blood pressure in the lungs, in which blood vessels are narrowed, blocked or destroyed, causing the heart to work harder and, in time, result in cardiac weakness and failure.

6 May 2022

Scientific statement from the American Heart Association on COVID-19 and cardiovascular complications in children and adolescents

A recent scientific statement published in Circulation reviewed the current knowledge on COVID-19.

13 Apr 2022

Role of leptin in immune modulation and pathophysiology of COVID-19

A recent review paper in the journal Frontiers in Physiology discusses the role of leptins in infection with SARS-CoV-2 that triggered the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Jan 2022

Platelet inhibitors may be linked with reduction in digital ulcers in people with systemic sclerosis

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that use of platelet inhibitors could be associated with a reduction in the occurrence of digital ulcers, painful sores on the extremities that can progress to gangrene, in people with systemic sclerosis.

1 Nov 2021

Researchers employ novel algorithm to identify candidate cancer drugs for pulmonary hypertension

By combining computational and experimental approaches, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Prairie View A&M University researchers identified cancer drugs that show promise for treating pulmonary hypertension, or PH, a rare and incurable lung disease.

21 Oct 2021

Acid pH enhances SARS-CoV-2 infection by up-regulating ACE2 receptor

A new study published in the journal Frontiers of Medicine indicated that Barrett's esophagus (BE) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may represent novel comorbidities associated with SARS-CoV-2 disease. A previous study had estimated that in the United States, 5.6% of adults have BE, a disease where esophageal squamous mucosa gets damaged by GERD.

12 Sep 2021