Despite previous evidence to the contrary, a single-center study suggests that sex hormones do not influence the development or progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), nor do they explain the higher prevalence of PAH in women. Exposure to sex hormones, either due to external sources like oral contraceptives…
News
First, the bad news: If you’re one of the 30 million or so Americans with a rare disease, you probably have lower immunity to the novel coronavirus than most people. Now, the good news: You already know how to face loneliness and adversity — qualities that make you far stronger…
I’ve written before about how I have adjusted my diet since my pulmonary hypertension diagnosis, but this isn’t something I’ve always found easy. When struggling with mental health or the usual pressures of daily life, it can be…
Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is a safe and effective, minimally invasive treatment for people with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), according to a study from the U.K. The study describes the treatment of the first group of CTEPH patients to be treated with BPA.
A consensus on the use of oral prostacyclin pathway agents (PPAs), like Uptravi (selexipag), as an add-on to standard therapies for certain types of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was announced by a 19-physician expert panel. PPAs can be an adjunct therapy to standard vasodilator compounds — endothelin…
Reata Pharmaceuticals is stopping clinical trials evaluating bardoxolone methyl in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), including a Phase 3 study, to ensure the safety of participants during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced. Trials in other disorders are set to continue, although some will stop…
The Living Rare, Living Stronger Patient and Family Forum, originally set for May 14–16 in Cleveland, Ohio, has been postponed until July 18–20 because of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic. The event’s sponsor, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), said it will still take place at the…
A 62-year-old with systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH) was successfully treated with immunosuppressants and vasodilators, a case study reports. The unusual antibody linked to her disease, called the anticentriole antibody, may also serve as a marker for the use of immunosuppressives in SSc-PAH patients with this antibody. The…
At 3 a.m. on July 6, 2003, Miami resident Jeffrey Goldstein got a call that would change his life. Doctors at the Duke University Lung Transplant Clinic had found a lung donor match for Goldstein, who had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis two years earlier. Nearly 17 years…
After demonstrating an ability to deliver top-shelf care to patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), four sites have been added to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s (PHA) network of Centers of Comprehensive Care (CCC). The newly accredited centers are the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Tufts…
Even with the coronavirus pandemic ravaging Europe and much of the world, patient advocate Lucia Monaco, PhD, of Italy remains confident that the Paris-based nonprofit she chairs will see the approval of 1,000 new rare disease therapies by 2027. That group, the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) —…
The first person with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) complicating pulmonary hypertension (PH) has received at-home treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO), delivered through the Genosyl system, according to VERO Biotech, manufacturer of Genosyl. The PH patient with COVID-19 infection was treated under the terms of an emergency…
