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.

CT-measured vascular pruning linked to mortality risk in smokers without COPD

In a new study, CT-measured vascular pruning – the diminution of distal pulmonary blood vessels (vessels on the outer edges of the lungs) – was associated with increased risk of death in smokers without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

23 May 2017

Study finds high and growing prevalence of women with heart disease delivering babies

A study of more than 80,000 women with heart disease from 2003 to 2012 reveals that the prevalence of women with heart disease delivering babies increased by 24 percent over that 10-year period.

12 May 2017

AATS guidelines offer clear recommendations for treating ischemic mitral regurgitation

Mitral regurgitation can occur in up to 50% of patients with ischemic heart disease and even mild ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) has been linked to increased long-term mortality.

18 Apr 2017

Growth factors in cord blood may help identify preemies at risk for fatal lung disease

Findings published in the Journal of Pediatrics describe growth factors in cord blood that may identify premature infants at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia-associated pulmonary hypertension (BPD-PH) – an often fatal lung disease in which the vessels carrying blood from the heart to the lungs become narrowed and dysfunctional.

6 Apr 2017

Researchers reveal how inflammatory responses block fat cell conversion

Scientists at the University of Bonn have shown in mice that excess pounds can simply be melted away by converting unwanted white fat cells into energy-consuming brown slimming cells.

3 Jan 2017

New treatment may reduce side effects linked to transfusions of red blood cells

A new treatment may diminish a dangerous side effect associated with transfusions of red blood cells (RBCs) known as pulmonary hypertension, an elevated blood pressure in the lungs and heart that can lead to heart failure, suggests a new study published in the November issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

7 Nov 2016

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to research oxygen deprivation

This expedition was a part of our clinical collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. In short, this particular study focused on the effect of altitude and aging on heart and lung function.

27 Oct 2016

Study provides insight into how weight-loss drug acts in the brain

A weight-loss drug dampened the response to food cues in regions of the brain associated with attention and emotion, leading to decreases in caloric intake, weight and body mass index (BMI), a team led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported.

12 Sep 2016

ESC releases novel position paper on tackling cardiotoxicity of anticancer treatments

The European Society of Cardiology has launched a novel position paper, under the auspices of its Committee for Practice Guidelines, on tackling the cardiac toxicity of anticancer therapies. The cardio-oncology paper is published online today in European Heart Journal and on the ESC Website.

27 Aug 2016

Experts develop new genomic testing method for pulmonary hypertension caused by genetic mutation

Pulmonology and genetics experts from two Utah healthcare organizations have collaboratively developed a new diagnostic genomic testing method for a rare form of pulmonary hypertension caused by a genetic mutation they discovered three years ago.

9 Aug 2016

Disordered airway microbiome at birth may be linked to severe neonatal lung disease

In contrast to the general belief that the airways of an infant are sterile until after birth, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers and colleagues have found that the infant airway is already colonized with bacteria or bacterial DNA when a baby is born -- and this is true for infants born as early as 24 weeks gestation.

5 Aug 2016

Testing lung health online: an interview with Professor Stephen Holgate

In our latest report – The Battle for Breath – the impact of lung disease in the UK, figures suggest that 1 in 5 (around 12.7 million) have been diagnosed with a lung condition in the UK. If you’re over the age of 70, this rises to 1 in 3.

From Asthma + Lung UK 27 Jul 2016

Study provides key insights for effective treatment of individuals with HFpEF

The number of patients hospitalized with HFpEF is now comparable to those with traditional heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and is projected to exceed that of HFrEF within the next few years.

27 Jul 2016

UAB receives NIH grants in three perinatal networks to improve maternal and infant health

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is the only university to be awarded grants in all three perinatal networks from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to improve maternal and infant health.

20 Jul 2016

European Commission approves extended indication for Amgen's Kyprolis (carfilzomib) for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma patients

Amgen has announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved a variation to the marketing authorization for Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) to include use in combination with dexamethasone alone for adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. The extended indication marks the second approval for Kyprolis by the EC in less than a year.

6 Jul 2016

Circulating angiogenic factor shows PAH biomarker potential

Hepatoma-derived growth factor predicts disease severity and survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, showing some possible clinical advantages over N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, researchers report.

5 Jul 2016

New blood test could help predict severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that rising blood levels of a protein called hematoma derived growth factor (HDGF) are linked to the increasing severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of damaging high blood pressure in the lungs.

20 Jun 2016