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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) involves progressive loss of lung function and ultimately fatal.  IPF  is characterized by scarring of lung tissue and is the cause of shortness of breath (dyspnea). The term “idiopathic”c means the disease has no known cause. The disease is known to cause permanent scarring of lung…

Several treatments have been developed for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) over the last two decades, with post-market studies reporting an improvement in the prognosis and progression of PAH with their use. However, reported survival rates have been unsatisfactory in western countries with respect current PAH therapies, while no reliable…

The Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) in Plains, MT has put forth an impressive, new model for treating lung-related diseases through the launch of its new Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program in March, which seeks to serve patients with a wide range of diagnoses, including COPD, pulmonary hypertension, obesity-related lung disease, and sarcoidosis.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) has been identified as one of the major causes of acute pulmonary hypertension (PH). This condition is characterized by a progressively dangerous accumulation of blood clots within pulmonary vasculature, which leads to PH and can eventually cause right-sided heart failure. It…

Hypoxia is the clinical manifestation of loss of oxygen supply in the body, leading to difficulty in breathing. Alveolar hypoxia can cause constriction of the distal pulmonary arterioles, which leads to increased arterial pressure and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This is a common condition among people living in high altitudes,…

Drug maker Actelion has indicated that the company’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drug Bosentan, which is also known under the brand names of Actelion and Tracleer, recently failed a key FDA postmarket test. The test, which was part of the postmarket COMPASS 2 trial, revealed that Bosentan did not reduce time…

Maxim Petrichuk / Shutterstock.com PoppyPocket founder and CEO, Julie Hydzu, has just announced her commitment to backing women’s cycling team PHenomenal Hope in an upcoming cross-country race dedicated to raising awareness on pulmonary hypertension and gathering funds for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA). It will be…

United Therapeutics Corporation has announced that Remodulin, a new treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) by subcutaneous and intravenous administration, has obtained a distribution permit in Japan from the country’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the governmental body responsible for granting such approvals. Yu-Lun Lin, associate vice president and managing…

The Food and Drug Administration clarified its previous recommendation related to prescribing Revatio (sildenafil; Pfizer) for children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the Monthly Prescribing Reference reports. In August 2012, the FDA revised the Revatio drug label and warned that the use of the drug, particularly for chronic…

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a rare condition characterized by increased pressure and constriction of the pulmonary arteries and the surrounding veins, which in turn applies excess pressure to the right side of the heart. It is a progressive condition that worsens with time if left untreated. The…

According to Lisa Wheeler, a research coordinator at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, other health conditions underlying pulmonary hypertension (PH) can actually cause more deaths than the lung disease in critically ill patients.  This finding necessitates a new direction in the care of subgroups of PH in intensive care…

A novel concept of targeting the autonomic nervous system around pulmonary arteries and activation of vasointestinal peptides (VIP) to treat Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (IPAH) was recently developed by a group of researchers. The study, published in the online journal Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management (March 27, 2014), profiled a 58…