A combination of lung injury and increased activation of B-cells — immune cells responsible for antibody production — was sufficient to promote symptoms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in mice, a study shows. In addition, increased B-cell activation and higher levels of immune cells known to promote antibody production also were…
Patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have higher serum levels of antibodies against the EDX2 and PHAX proteins, according to research which suggests that these autoantibodies could be used as diagnostic tools for both diseases. The study, “Elevated levels…
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is associated with the presence of specific autoantibodies, a study has found. PAH is a complex disease characterized by the constriction of pulmonary arteries. PAH can be associated with connective tissue diseases (CTDs) such as SLE. The…
Researchers in Italy developed a clear way of exploring differences in autoantibodies to predict which scleroderma patients are likely to develop pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), improving their chances of getting appropriate treatment before changes in their lung blood vessels take place. The study, “Subspecificities of anticentromeric protein A antibodies identify…
A variety of biomarkers are elevated in the serum of patients with systemic sclerosis-pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH). Researchers have mostly been studying these markers to determine if they can be used to help diagnose SSc-PAH or if they can serve as targets for new treatments. Alternatively, a study from Northwestern…
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