The blood levels of a signaling molecule called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are significantly reduced in people with high-altitude pulmonary hypertension (PH) and in mice with hypoxia-induced PH, a study shows. Hypoxia refers to low oxygen conditions and chronic hypoxia is a common cause of PH. Also, treatment with…
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The levels of blood-circulating inflammatory molecules differ between men and women with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and correlate with disease severity, a study suggests. Notably, the levels of two proteins — called IL-6 and MIP-1alpha — were predictors of poorer survival statistics. These findings suggest that patient stratification may…
The gut microbiota of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) differs from that of healthy individuals, and this perhaps explains why there also is more inflammation, a Japanese study found. The findings provide new information on the way CTEPH may develop. The study, “Altered gut microbiota and…
To celebrate World Pulmonary Hypertension Day on May 5, Ferrer and the European Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA Europe) have launched the PHantasticals campaign to raise public awareness about rare and chronic lung diseases like pulmonary hypertension (PH). The campaign features a collection of mermaid characters called the…
Chiesi Farmaceutici has acquired the worldwide rights to a number of investigational antibodies that may be able to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) from the developer, Allinaire Therapeutics. All of the antibodies act against the endothelial monocyte-activating polypeptide (EMAP II), a pro-inflammatory molecule that is thought to…
A Russian military plane crash near Tetiana Zamorska’s home in Kyiv, Ukraine, was a sign that it was time for her and her family to leave. The treacherous, 34-hour pilgrimage that ultimately brought the group of eight by car to temporary accommodations in neighboring Poland last month was physically and emotionally difficult,…
Longer-term use of Ventavis (iloprost) as an add-on therapy significantly improved blood flow and lowered blood pressure in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a small study in Japan reported. Findings support this inhaled therapy’s established benefits as a pulmonary vasodilator — a medicine that  widens, or dilate,…
The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has launched the ISHLT Foundation, a new organization that will serve as ISHLT’s charitable arm to fund research grants and awards to improve patient care for advanced heart and lung diseases, including pulmonary hypertension (PH). In PH, high…
Nearly a third of individuals with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) live with mental health disorders that impair their overall quality of life, a study in Germany has found. The significant impact of panic disorder, major depression, and other mental disorders on life quality suggests that adequate screening tools…
Infants born extremely premature — at 23 to 25 weeks of pregnancy — are at a high risk of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH) before they are 3 months old but can be helped with treatment, a recent study reported. Initial signs of disease, evident on echocardiographs in these infants,…
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) will join more than 80 organizations around the world on May 5 to recognize World Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Day. The event is intended to raise global awareness about PH, a rare, life-threatening disease that affects more than 75 million people worldwide and for which…
Maximum oxygen uptake measured during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) independently predicted long-term survival outcomes in people with pulmonary hypertension caused by left heart disease (PH-LHD), a study reported. Further studies with a larger number of these patients are needed to confirm the findings, the researchers noted. The study, “…
