Pulmonary 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.

Gene key to excessive cell proliferation could be a potential target for fatal pulmonary hypertension

A gene that is overexpressed in some aggressive cancers also appears to be key to the excessive cell proliferation that thickens the walls of pulmonary arteries and ultimately causes the right ventricle of the heart to fail, scientists report.

16 Dec 2021

Black patients with systemic sclerosis may experience poorer outcomes more often than others

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that Black people living with systemic sclerosis may have more severe disease and worse prognosis than patients in other racial or ethnic groups, and these worrying disparities may be driven by several socioeconomic factors.

2 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

May-Thurner anatomy common in patients with CTEPH, new study shows

Like highways, roads, and side streets, blood vessels in the human body come in different sizes, with a range of traffic-carrying capacities. These differences are critical to facilitating blood flow through tissues.

24 Sep 2021

Hydroxyurea therapy can improve or reverse cardiac complications in sickle cell anemia patients

Heart abnormalities are common complications of sickle cell anemia (SCA) that can contribute to severe disease symptoms and even death.

16 Sep 2021

Breast milk consumption improves cardiac performance in premature infants, study shows

New research from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences demonstrates the beneficial effect of breast milk consumption on cardiovascular health and early cardiovascular development in premature infants.

30 Aug 2021

Preliminary study suggests nitric oxide may be a potential treatment for COVID-19 respiratory failure

New research led by Devang K. Sanghavi of the Mayo Clinic in Florida, USA, suggests pre-intubation use of nitric oxide for patients with COVID-19–related hypoxemic respiratory may help reduce patients' mortality. Their findings show that inhaling nitric oxide in this patient population could reduce the need for future intubation and other invasive mechanical ventilation.

26 Aug 2021

Obstructive sleep apnea may affect heart health and increase blood pressure in children

Obstructive sleep apnea, a form of sleep-disordered breathing, is common in children and adolescents and may be associated with elevated blood pressure and changes in heart structure.

18 Aug 2021

Researchers test a library of lipid-based compounds to enable safe delivery of RNA drugs to the lungs

Hokkaido University researchers in Japan created and tested a library of lipid-based compounds to find a way to safely and effectively deliver RNA drugs to the lungs.

30 Jul 2021

Researchers observe brain's responses to vagus nerve stimulation during sleep and wakefulness

For the first time, researchers from the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have characterized the brain's responses to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) at various states of sleep and wakefulness.

24 Jun 2021

New measure of heart function could improve survival for people with heart failure

A new physiological measurement of heart function developed at UVA Health could improve survival for people with heart failure by identifying high-risk patients who require tailored treatments, a new study suggests.

8 Jun 2021

Discovery offers a potential new pathway to treat hypertension

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and premature death worldwide.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers develop proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders

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.

1 Jun 2021

Decreasing activity of ZMPSTE24 protease with age and comorbidities may make elderly COVID-19 patients vulnerable

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.

23 May 2021

The effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on pregnancy and birth

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.

19 May 2021

Pulmonary endarterectomy improves outcomes in patients with segmental disease

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.

3 May 2021

Atrial fenestration during atrioventricular septal defect repair is linked to higher mortality rate

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.

3 May 2021

Study casts doubt on promotion of 'Heat not Burn' products as less harmful alternative to cigarettes

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.

22 Apr 2021

Algorithm accurately identifies pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with scleroderma

Screening for a sometimes fatal condition among patients with a rare autoimmune disease could soon - thanks to a computer algorithm - become even more accurate.

21 Apr 2021

Toward a transformative therapy for sickle cell patients

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.

9 Apr 2021