Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

The gut microbiota of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) differs from that of healthy individuals, and this perhaps explains why there also is more inflammation, a Japanese study found. The findings provide new information on the way CTEPH may develop. The study, “Altered gut microbiota and…

Breathing problems are more common in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction who also have pulmonary hypertension (PH) than in those who do not have PH, a study reported. Patients with PH also had poorer lung function and long-term survival than those without PH. However, while spirometry…

A calcium channel called TRPC6 may offer a new target for the development of treatments for pulmonary hypertension (PH), including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a mouse study suggests. Researchers also found that a calcium channel blocker called BI-749327, given orally, reversed PH in a mouse model of the…

Local anesthesia is better than general anesthesia for both the mother and her baby when delivery is by cesarean section (C-section) and the woman has pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study suggests. These findings might help to guide doctors in selecting the best approach to anesthesia for women in labor.

Oxygen therapy may help relieve lung pressure in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) who are about to undergo balloon pulmonary angioplasty, a procedure in which balloons are used to open blood vessels that have been chronically narrowed or blocked, according to a new study. Researchers found a decrease…

A peptide — a short chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins — called BPC 157 may prevent or counteract pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and its complications, according to a preclinical study in a rat model of the disease. The findings suggest that BPC 157 may…

Certain chemokines — signaling molecules that attract white blood cells to sites of infection — may be blood markers of both a person’s risk of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and this disease’s likely course in a patient, a study found. PAH is considered idiopathic when its cause is unknown…

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — an umbrella term for conditions caused by a buildup of fat in the liver — is about twice as common among people who have pulmonary hypertension (PH) than among those who do not, a review of almost 19,000 people has shown. The finding…

Pregnant women with high pressure in the pulmonary artery of the heart, but who are not considered at risk of pulmonary hypertension (PH), are likely to also be at lower risk of other major cardiac problems, researchers reported. In this study, the level of PH probability was judged based…

Levels of a protein found in certain blood cells indicate the severity and prognosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study suggested. The findings could help achieve earlier diagnosis of PAH, which may improve clinical outcomes, researchers said. The study, “Circulating nerve growth factor receptor positive…

Claritas Pharmaceuticals has signed a letter of intent with the Salzman Group to acquire exclusive global rights to develop and market R-107 — a liquid form of nitric oxide — to treat, and possibly reverse, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The agreement is expected to come into effect by May…

United Therapeutics has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of Tyvaso DPI, a dry powder inhaled formulation of treprostinil, for both pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). To expedite the process, the company  applied…