On October 12, 2026, Pulmonary Hypertension News published an article by Marisa Horak MS summarising the findings of a study by researchers at Ningxia Medical University in China, published in Pulmonary Circulation. The study looked at global data on pulmonary arterial hypertension in people aged 60 and over between 1990 and 2021. Worldwide, the researchers found, new cases have risen while death rates have fallen, but the trend differs by region. In wealthier countries, cases have increased but deaths have dropped, thanks to better access to diagnosis and treatment. In poorer regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, fewer cases are recorded but deaths have risen. Income alone doesn’t explain the differences: death rates in the United States and Sweden, for example, are higher than expected, possibly because of late diagnosis or uneven care. A genetic analysis also linked a higher body mass index to a greater risk of the disease. The authors call for better diagnosis, fairer access to treatment, care adapted to older people, and prevention of obesity.
Read more at this link on Pulmonary Hypertension News
Read the original article, whose title is “Global Burden of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Older Adults and Its Causal Association With Body Mass Index” here
Citation
Y. Fu, B. Wang, F. Li, X. Tian, J. Gu, and Y. Gao, “ Global Burden of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Older Adults and Its Causal Association With Body Mass Index,” Pulmonary Circulation 61 (2026): e70416. https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.70416.