Awareness campaign aims to improve PAH diagnosis, treatment
American Lung Association effort has support from Merck
A new educational campaign aims to raise awareness of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) symptoms, with the goal of accelerating diagnosis and improving treatment.
The American Lung Association campaign has the support of Merck, which markets Winrevair (sotatercept), a medication approved this year in the U.S. and the European Union and other countries.
“PAH is a challenging disease that significantly impacts the lives of those who have it,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in an association press release. “Through this campaign, we hope to improve awareness and understanding of PAH, promote early diagnosis, and provide valuable resources for patients and caregivers. Together, we can help those affected by PAH lead better, healthier lives.”
PAH is a type of pulmonary hypertension caused by the narrowing of pulmonary arteries, the small blood vessels that transport blood through the lungs. This restricts blood flow across the lungs, leading to high blood pressure, or hypertension, and making the heart work harder to pump blood through the body.
More prevalent in women
The disease is more prevalent in women between the ages of 30 and 60, and disproportionally affects Black and Hispanic women. PAH symptoms may not be noticeable in the early stages, which makes timely diagnosis challenging. As the disease progresses, symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and heart palpitations become more frequent.
Since these complications also occur in other diseases, it may take more than two years to achieve a correct diagnosis. While there is no cure, available treatments can slow disease progression and improve patients’ quality of life.
The association said it’s important for a PAH patient to visit an accredited PH center or specialist for advice on the most adequate treatment, including medications and potentially supportive approaches such as supplemental oxygen and pulmonary rehabilitation. The most severe cases may require lung transplant.
The campaign aims to increase awareness of PAH symptoms to help people at risk get diagnosed early, and to educate patients and their caregivers about available treatments and strategies to manage symptoms.
The campaign comes with a set of resources that include a patient’s perspective on living with PAH, an animation to better understand the disease, tips regarding the first steps after receiving a diagnosis, and advice aimed at helping make treatment decisions, manage the disease, and adopt lifestyle changes.
The organization also has information about available financial assistance programs and clinical trials.
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