Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

Scientists have identified gene, protein, and signaling pathway alterations in the livers of people with portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) — a form of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) usually associated with liver disease — that could reflect underlying mechanisms of the rare disorder. Compared with liver disease patients without PoPH, those…

Among patients undergoing surgery for a heart valve disease, the presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) was associated with a worse prognosis, particularly for patients with high pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). PVR is an an indicator of resistance to blood flow in the pulmonary arteries sending blood from the heart…

Certain proteins implicated in the immune response and inflammation showed a potential to serve as blood biomarkers of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a recent study. A possible diagnostic biomarker was seen in the TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) protein. It demonstrated an ability to distinguish PAH patients not only…

Scientists in India have developed derivatives of bosentan — the active ingredient in Tracleer — that were able to ease signs of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat model. In addition to lowering blood pressure and restoring more normal heart and lung architecture, the molecules lowered biomarkers…

People with a combination of two lung diseases — specifically pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, known as CPFE — who also have pulmonary hypertension (PH) were found to be at an increased risk of death in comparison to CPFE patients without PH, according to a new meta-analysis. Having CPFE also…

A one-time surgical procedure called pulmonary artery denervation or PADN was linked to a reduced risk of clinical worsening in the long term for people with combined pre- and post-capillary pulmonary hypertension (CpcPH). That’s according to three-year data from a clinical trial involving CpcPH patients who underwent the procedure.

Treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) for three weeks lowered signs of cardiac fibrosis, or scar tissue build-up, in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The findings indicate that CBD may be beneficial for boosting heart function in PH patients via inhibition of certain pro-fibrotic signaling pathways, according to researchers,…

AV-101, an inhaled formulation of imatinib for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) now being tested in clinical trials, was found in a series of experiments in animal models to result in better lung exposure than oral formulations of the medication. By offering direct delivery to the lungs, AV-101’s…

A gene called RASA3 may be a candidate gene — one suspected of playing a role in a specific trait or disorder — in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) among people with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a new study. Reduced activity of RASA3 was evident…

Noninvasive clinical assessments to identify children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) at risk of poorer outcomes align well with right heart catheterization (RHC), an invasive procedure, but they are not accurate enough to forgo a need for RHC altogether, according to a recent study. Scientists found that about 70%…

Team PHenomenal Hope — Team PH — a nonprofit organization seeking to raise awareness about pulmonary hypertension (PH), has launched an educational website for people newly diagnosed or who are living with the rare disease. The site, called Learn Live Breathe PH, was launched Feb. 28 in…

Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) and balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) — two treatment approaches for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) — significantly improved blood flow dynamics and functional capacity in patients given either procedure, a study from Norway reported. PEA was more effective at reducing pressure and resistance in the lungs’…