News

World PH Day efforts seek to raise awareness of global PH impact

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) will join together with more than 80 organizations worldwide on May 5 for World PH Day, seeking to raise awareness of the global impact of pulmonary hypertension (PH). This year’s theme is “United to Cure PH,” aimed at recognizing the global advances to…

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty may be ‘life-changing’ for CTEPH patients

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty, or BPA, can be an effective treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a new study highlights. “Patients treated with BPA experienced improvement in functional class and exercise capabilities, with relatively low rates of procedure-related complications,” researchers wrote. The study, “Refined Balloon Pulmonary…

Blood protein levels of TSP2 may be biomarker in PH, study finds

Blood levels of a protein called thrombospondin-2 (TSP2) — related to clinically identifiable measures of right heart structure and function — are consistently increased across patients with different types of pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study in Germany suggests. According to the researchers, these data indicate “that plasma [blood] TSP2…

Three-molecule panel may help detect PAH in children with CHD

Measuring blood levels of three molecules — SAM, guanine, and NT-proBNP — could help identify pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in children with congenital heart diseases (CHD), a study suggests. “This 3-marker panel has the potential to be used in clinical practice for the early diagnosis and screening of PAH-CHD,”…

PAH patients with or without CTD benefit similarly from Uptravi

Oral Uptravi (selexipag) provided similar clinical benefits for adults with connective tissue disease (CTD) associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) as for those without CTD, according to a health claims database analysis. PAH patients with CTDs treated with Uptravi in real-world settings had similar risks of disease progression…

Self-compassion linked with anxiety, depression in PH: Study

Self-compassion, the act of being kind to oneself, was a significant predictor of anxiety and depression in adults with pulmonary hypertension (PH), a questionnaire-based study reported. Self-compassion also predicted the burden of those who care for patients. The findings suggest psychological and supportive interventions that build self-compassion are needed…