Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

An oxygen-sensing protein called hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha, or HIF-1alpha, may contribute to worsening pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and is a possible therapeutic target for people with this rare type of pulmonary hypertension, a study by Chinese scientists found. According to the researchers, HIF-1alpha may worsen PAH by increasing the uptake…

Children with pulmonary hypertension (PH), characterized by high blood pressure in the lungs that can make exercising difficult, are more likely to be active if physical activity is fun, allows them to be with friends, and puts them in a safe place where they feel included, a study has…

Having fewer very fine blood vessels in the fold of skin at the base of the fingernails appears to be linked to an increased risk of clinical worsening in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study in the Netherlands suggests. People with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) also had…

Tyvaso (inhaled treprostinil) appears to be well tolerated by patients with different types of pulmonary hypertension (PH), and stopping the treatment increases the risk of disease worsening, a study found. The study, “Evaluation of patients with severe pulmonary hypertension and a range of comorbidities prescribed inhaled treprostinil,”…

Liquidia is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to challenge a decision that delays the final approval of Yutrepia, its inhaled dry-powder formulation of treprostinil, arguing that the delay unfairly limits patient access to important treatment. Yutrepia was granted tentative approval in 2021 to improve the…

Airplane travel appears to be safe for people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) with both slight and marked limitations of physical activity, though some individuals may need oxygen support on board to help with breathing, according to a new study. While some patients in the study, dubbed PEGASUS (NCT03051763),…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended its tentative approval of Yutrepia, an inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil, to pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), a condition that causes the lungs to become scarred. Liquidia’s Yutrepia was granted tentative approval in 2021…

How chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is managed across regions globally varies widely despite treatment advances, a survey study found, highlighting the need for more research, better guidelines, and ongoing education for healthcare providers. The study, “Treatment and management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH): A…

Measuring blood vessel function in the arm in a noninvasive way can help predict pulmonary hypertension (PH) when combined with certain heart measurements, a study has found. The study, “Endothelial Function Correlates With Pulmonary Pressures in Subjects With Clinically Suspected Pulmonary Hypertension,” was published in The American Journal…

Sildenafil — a medication that relaxes blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow — may possibly be used to treat neonatal pulmonary hypertension in babies born at high altitudes, where less oxygen is available for breathing. This is according to clinical observations by Alexandra Heath-Freudenthal, MD, a pediatric cardiologist, while…

Experts recommend taking Uptravi (selexipag) with food and slowly titrating it up, at a frequency of less than weekly or by raising one of the two daily doses, as tolerated, while caring for any side effects adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) may be having. The recommendation came…

MACC1, a gene that’s been linked to overgrowth of cancer cells, is more active in the lungs of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) than in healthy individuals, a study out of China found, suggesting it could be used as a diagnostic biomarker for the disease. Researchers also observed…