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.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and premature death worldwide.
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders like sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia that could raise hemoglobin levels by activating production of both fetal and adult hemoglobin.
Studies have shown that circulating levels of PAI-1, the coagulation cascade activator, are considerably higher in COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory illness compared to patients with bacterial-sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Hence the increase in PAI-1 levels is recognized as an early marker of endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19 patients.
The severe impact of this infection has given rise to a study by Theiler et al. (2021), which investigated the effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy in order to examine the protection it could provide to combat the infection.
A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, found that patients treated surgically for segmental Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) had excellent outcomes with the vast majority doing very well in the long term without any additional treatment other than surgery.
A new study, presented today at the AATS 101st Annual Meeting, shows an association between decreased survival at five years and leaving an atrial communication at biventricular repair of unbalanced AVSD after adjusting for other known risk factors.
The impact on lung cells of Heat not Burn products--a hybrid between traditional cigarettes and electronic vaping devices--may be no less harmful than that of conventional cigarettes, suggest the findings of a small comparative study, published online in the journal Thorax.
Screening for a sometimes fatal condition among patients with a rare autoimmune disease could soon - thanks to a computer algorithm - become even more accurate.
For the millions of people worldwide who have sickle cell disease, there are only a few treatment options, which include risky bone marrow transplants, gene therapy or other treatments that address a subset of symptoms.
A new study reports the potential of the cell surface marker, CD47, as a biomarker for hyperinflammation, a characteristic feature of severe COVID-19.
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants with moderate to large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) may benefit from transcatheter PDA closure (TCPC) in the first four weeks of life, according to research published by Le Bonheur Cardiologist Ranjit Philip, MD, and Medical Director of Interventional Cardiac Imaging and Interventional Catheterization Laboratory Shyam Sathanandam, MD.
An innovative mitral valve replacement procedure shows promise for high-risk patients in a new University of Miami Miller School of Medicine study led by Joseph Lamelas, M.D., chief and program director of cardiothoracic surgery.
A drug used to treat pulmonary hypertension significantly reduced the capacity of tumor cells to migrate and invade other tissues in trials involving pancreatic, ovarian, breast cancer, and leukemia cell lines.
Cardiovascular disease is now the number one cause of maternal mortality in the United States, but a new study suggests that care from a multidisciplinary cardio-obstetrics team may improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce hospital readmission rates.
Many complications have been reported, including heart disease and prolonged respiratory issues in a group of people called “long-haulers.” Now, a new worrying finding shows that COVID-19 can cause sudden and irreversible hearing loss in patients.
Results of a retrospective analysis suggest that people born with a heart defect who developed COVID-19 symptoms had a low risk of moderate or severe COVID-19 infection, according to a new article published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increasing numbers of doctors caring for patients virtually. While critical to protecting patient health during a pandemic, however, virtual care presents unique challenges, especially when it comes to diagnosis.
Old. Chronically ill. Black. People who fit this description are more likely to die from COVID-19 than any other group in the country.
Now, a new study by researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC), the World Bank, and Saudi Health Council, shows that obesity increases the risk of dying from COVID-19 by as much as 48 percent, hinting that a vaccine against the virus could be less effective in obese people.
A review of COVID-19 studies reveals a troubling connection between two health crises: coronavirus and obesity.