Many people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) report better mental and physical health following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study found. “Unexpectedly, we found that some objective measures of pulmonary hypertension disease severity actually improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included longer 6-minute walk distances, lower NT-proBNP…
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Among people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a measure of artery deformity called pulmonary artery longitudinal strain may be a predictor of risk of death, a study in Singapore reports. A GLS — or artery global longitudinal strain — below 9% was associated with a higher risk of death. Moreover,…
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, 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…
A gene called RASA3 may be a candidate gene — one suspected of playing a role in a specific trait or disorder — in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) among people with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a new study. Reduced activity of RASA3 was evident…
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…
Tenax Therapeutics is planning to start a Phase 3 clinical trial of TNX-103 — oral levosimendan — to treat pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF) later this year. People with PH-HFpEF have a normal heartbeat, but the heart muscle is too stiff to fill…
Statistical models using U.S. insurance data can help to predict the risk of hospitalization within one year of starting on treatment among people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), scientists report. Identified risk factors for pulmonary hypertension-related hospitalization included female sex, shortness of breath, and…
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,”…
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…
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%…
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…
