News

PAH Patients with Rare Disease Subtypes in Need of Better Research, Treatment

Despite increased attention on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), information on treatments for those patients with rare conditions — Eisenmenger syndrome or PAH with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) — is lacking. Two physician-researchers who addressed this are advising these patients be followed in tertiary academic centers to increase their enrollment in clinical…

Respiratory Exercises Help PH Patients Breathe and Live Better, Study Says

Breathing exercises aimed at improving the respiratory system’s muscular strength and endurance can considerably benefit pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients and improve their overall life quality. Researchers in Greece in the article, “Benefits of inspiratory muscle training in patients with pulmonary hypertension: A pilot study,” published in the Hellenic Journal of Cardiology, reported…

Heart Sounds Checked by Speech Algorithm Diagnose Pulmonary Hypertension Better Than Trained Doctors

Sounds produced in the heart, reworked using a classification algorithm based on an automated speech recognition, were analyzed and seen to lead to more accurate diagnoses of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients than those done by physicians listening to the same heart recordings, according to the study,  “Acoustic diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension: automated…

PAH Researchers Identify Potential New Therapeutic Target

A molecule called PHD2 in the cells lining blood vessels in the lungs protects mice from the blood vessel remodeling leading to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), as removal of the factor triggered numerous changes linked to the condition. The findings suggest that PHD2 is a factor that is downstream of…

Probiotic Oral Bacteria, Altered to Produce Peptide, Shows Promise in Treating Pulmonary Hypertension

Rats with induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) and all its symptoms that were then treated with a modified strain of Lactobacillus, a probiotic bacteria engineered to produce a specific oral peptide, showed a reversal in those symptoms: reduced blood pressure, reduced heart wall thickness, and improved heart contractility. The results were recently…

Actelion Pioneers Honored by PHA for Achievements in Treating Pulmonary Hypertension and PAH

At the upcoming Evening of Hope Gala, the California chapter of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) will recognize two pioneers in the field of pulmonary hypertension (PH): Jean-Paul Clozel, MD, a cardiologist who is the chief executive officer the of the biopharmaceutical company Actelion, and his wife Martine Clozel, MD, a pediatrician who…

Diabetes and Obesity Treatment Shows Promise in Preventing PAH in Early Study

Liraglutide, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes (brand name, Victoza) and obesity (brand name, Saxenda), is currently being evaluated as a possible therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Now, a new study suggests that liraglutide may also be quite effective in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study, “Liraglutide prevents and reverses monocrotaline-induced…