UC San Diego researchers published findings in Nature Medicine demonstrating that a simple blood test can detect pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) before it becomes life-threatening. What follows is a brief summary from an article about this study published on ABC 10 New San Diego (see link below). The test identifies a specific piece of the […]
This comprehensive Nature Reviews Disease Primers paper provides an authoritative overview of pulmonary hypertension (PH) globally, with particular attention to disparities between high-income (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Key Points Classification and Prevalence: pulmonary hypertension is defined as mean pulmonary artery pressure >20 mmHg and comprises five groups: Group 1 (pulmonary arterial hypertension/PAH
Pulmonary hypertension, Nature Reviews Disease Primers, January 4, 2024 Read Post »
Twelve pulmonary arterial hypertension patients followed at the Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital in Zhengzhou City in the Henan Province, China, were interviewed to understand their self-management challenges. The findings were published in the Patient Preference and Adherence Journal on January 17, 2026, and reveal significant barriers to effective disease self-management across two main categories.
Research published in Respiratory Medicine on January 12, 2026, explored adherence to pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific therapies across different therapeutic classes, identified factors associated with non-adherence and evaluated its impact on clinical outcomes. Adherence was measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) during the treatment period, defined as 60 days after first therapy until treatment discontinuation/censor.
A prospective analysis from the Spanish Registry of pulmonary arterial hypertension (REHAP) examined 59 patients diagnosed with toxic oil syndrome-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (TOS-PAH) between 1997 and 2025, providing new clinical, pathological and genetic insights into this historically significant form of drug-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension. Key findings: The patient cohort was 63% female with a
The Pulmonary Hypertension Global Patient Survey (PH GPS), the largest survey of its kind in the pulmonary hypertension field, was collaboratively designed through a multidisciplinary consensus process and disseminated by pulmonary hypertension organizations globally. The survey analyzed data from 3,329 adult patients (mean age 52.2 years, 81.7% female) and 135 paediatric patients, examining healthcare provision,
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada, PHA Canada, has published an article reporting on the findings of a survey where they asked a small group of patients what they valued about having a right heart catheterization (RHC), and how they would like their care providers to share the information. The article is not open access
During right heart catheterization (RHC), the “acute vasodilator test” offers valuable insights into pulmonary circulation by evaluating vasoreactivity. A positive result identifies a rare pulmonary arterial subtype that may benefit from long-term calcium-channel blocker therapy (the so called “responders”). A recent study re-examines the applications, criteria, and objectives of acute vasodilator testing in pulmonary hypertension
A retrospective cohort study using data from 103 healthcare organizations compared 454 pulmonary arterial hypertension patients receiving sotatercept to 963.386 pulmonary arterial hypertension patients not receiving sotatercept. After propensity score matching to balance baseline characteristics, 346 patients per group were analyzed over an average follow-up of approximately 6-8 months. The sotatercept group demonstrated dramatically lower
The Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) GoDeep meta-registry integrates data from international pulmonary hypertension registries, from which 21,123 incident hemodynamically fully characterised patients were analysed to investigate the influence of sex on survival of patients. Findings revealed that male patients have significantly higher mortality rates than female patients across all types of pulmonary hypertension. This survival
A very interesting article by Prof. Werner Seeger recounts the discovery and development of inhaled prostanoids for pulmonary hypertension at the Giessen Pulmonary Hypertension center (Germany) in the late 1980s-1990s (§). Initially researching acute lung injury/Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), researchers at Giessen observed that while intravenous vasodilators worsened ventilation/perfusion mismatch, aerosolized prostacyclin (PGI2) reduced
Parenteral prostacyclin therapy remains the cornerstone for high-risk pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients but is limited by complications and reduced quality of life. A case series of eight high-risk patients demonstrated that adding sotatercept successfully enabled transition from intravenous to oral prostacyclin therapy. All patients received background dual therapy with endothelin receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase-5
The ASPYRE-1 study presents the baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in the national prospective registry created through the Italian Network on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (IPHNET). The registry was established in 2014 with the aim of better understanding the contemporary profile of Italian pulmonary arterial hypertension patients and to support future analyses on risk stratification and
In an article published in the December 2025 issue of Intelligent Hospital on the challenges of telehealth adoption in rural communities, the authors examine why telehealth uptake remains limited outside urban areas despite its growing role in modern healthcare. The study explains that although technology has transformed health services by improving clinical capabilities and patient
This is a small study but it addresses a very important but often overlooked issue, that of injection site pain for pulmonary arterial hypertension patients being treated with sub-cutaneous treprostinil, which can significantly affect quality of life. The researchers found that topical 10% lidocaine gel provided rapid and effective relief of injection site pain, facilitating
A review recently published in the European Respiratory Journal Open Research provides the latest evidence on drug- and toxin-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, offering clinicians updated guidance on recognition, diagnosis, and management of this pulmonary arterial hypertension subtype (see below for the most recent pulmonary arterial hypertension classification, at 1.3) The first World Health Organization (WHO)
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive, life-threatening disease where early detection is strongly encouraged to prevent irreversible vascular and cardiac damage. However, a fundamental paradox exists: while clinicians are urged to diagnose pulmonary arterial hypertension early, treatment is restricted to symptomatic patients (New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II or higher), leaving asymptomatic
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “Health at a Glance: Europe 2024” report analyzes critical challenges confronting European health systems following the COVID-19 pandemic. Two thematic chapters anchor the publication. The opening chapter delivers an in-depth analysis of Europe’s health workforce crisis. It examines the root causes of personnel shortages and outlines policy
Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare, severe World Health Organisation Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) subtype with poor survival. pulmonary arterial hypertension-targeted vasodilators can cause life-threatening pulmonary edema in Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, underscoring the need for diagnostic tools to distinguish it from other pulmonary arterial hypertension subtypes The findings of a study recently
The 6th “Journées du Réseau Français de l’Hypertension Pulmonaire” (JRF-HTP), held in October 2024, provided a review of the evolving landscape in pulmonary hypertension (PH). The meeting brought together clinicians and researchers to exchange on the most recent scientific, clinical, and organizational advances in pulmonary hypertension. We are proud that a patient advocate was included as co-author,
