Noninvasive clinical assessments to identify children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) at risk of poorer outcomes align well with right heart catheterization (RHC), an invasive procedure, but they are not accurate enough to forgo a need for RHC altogether, according to a recent study. Scientists found that about 70%…
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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…
Using a noninvasive test in conjunction with other assessments may reduce the need to undergo right heart catheterization — a reliable but invasive procedure known as RHC — for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension (PH) in people with interstitial lung disease (ILD), according to a new study. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET),…
A long noncoding RNA molecule (lncRNA) — a long segment of RNA that regulates protein production in the body — may activate or inhibit genes associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to researchers in China. In their study, a lncRNA was found at higher levels in children with…
Certain genes are differentially expressed, meaning they have different activity, in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) whose right side of the heart fails to work as it should, a study found. Researchers believe that those genes, generally involved in regulating the electrical properties of the heart’s muscle cells,…
About 1 in 4 people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) have right ventricle (RV) energy failure — when one of the heart’s lower chambers fails to provide enough energy to push blood to the lungs — a Turkish study found. Researchers also observed that people with RV energy failure were…
Low blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are associated with right heart failure in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study reports. Experiments in mouse models of PH, however, suggest that the low BDNF levels are a consequence, and not the cause, of right heart failure. The…
A noninvasive measure of heart and blood vessel function called the TAPSE/PASP ratio could help prioritize people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who may benefit most from a lung transplant, according to a new study. “We demonstrated that the echocardiographic index of TAPSE/PASP … was lower in patients who…
Researchers have identified a significant risk factor that affects the prognosis of people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in a large 26-year study. They found that elevated left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP), a measure of left heart function, was common in patients and predicted worse outcomes. Pulmonary hypertension…
Referral to a specialized chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) center for follow-up treatment after a pulmonary embolism (PE) — a blood clot that blocks an artery in the lungs — is more likely if patients live closer to the center and have access to a primary healthcare provider, a…
Four genes associated with the metabolism of copper in the body have been identified as potential diagnostic biomarkers of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a new study reports. Researchers used computer software tools to look for specific genes tied to copper metabolism that may serve as less-invasive markers for diagnosing…
Adding sotatercept to standard therapies significantly improved the six-minute walking distance by more than 40 meters (131 feet) compared with a placebo among adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This finding met the primary goal of STELLAR, a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the impact of 24 weeks, or…
