Part of the Hypoxia in pulmonary vascular research – altitude and beyond webinar series

In this Community Call, we discussed:

• Digital spatial profiling identifies distinct molecular signatures of vascular lesions in PAH
• Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor treatment is associated with improved survival in pulmonary hypertension associated with COPD in the PVRI GoDeep meta-registry

Exercise training is recommended for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Post hoc analysis of the PH and Home-Based (PHAHB) trial stratified patients into two groups based on median diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO).

We present the case of an 18-year-old woman with a 5-day history of thoracic pain and dyspnea following physical exertion, along with swelling of her right calf. Computertomography (CT) angiography confirmed a massive central pulmonary artery embolism (PE) of the left main branch. 

One of the great diagnostic challenges for children with pulmonary arterial hypertension is the need for general anesthesia (GA) to enable successful right heart catheterization.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is marked by persistent blood clots in pulmonary arteries, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Emerging evidence highlights the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in pulmonary hypertension, though findings on miRNA expression in CTEPH remain limited and inconsistent. 

Recommended therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have until recently targeted pathways with predominant effects of pulmonary vasodilation.1 The recent addition to treatment options of sotatercept, an activin signaling inhibitor which rebalances pro- and antiproliferative signaling, bolsters a longstanding goal of targeting pathogenic pulmonary vascular remodeling.

Tuberculosis (TB) may cause significant long-term cardiorespiratory complications, of which pulmonary vascular disease is most under-recognized. TB is rarely listed as a cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in most PH guidelines, yet PH may develop at various stages in the time course of TB, from active infection through to the post-TB period.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension affects females more frequently than males, and there are known sex-related differences in the lungs. However, normal sex-related differences in pulmonary vascular structure remain incompletely described.