Milestone in pulmonary hypertension therapy

Breakthrough in the treatment of rare pulmonary hypertension PAH: Professor Dr Marius Hoeper and Professor Dr Karen Olsson; Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH - In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the small vessels in the lungs become increasingly narrow and obstruct the transport of blood to the lungs. A new drug can stop this change and possibly even reverse it. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a special form of pulmonary hypertension. It occurs because the small arteries in the lungs narrow as a result of progressive changes in the blood vessels. As a result, the right side of the heart has to pump harder to get the blood to the lungs and the blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation rises. To date, more than ten drugs have been approved worldwide for the treatment of this disease, which mainly dilate the blood vessels. Nevertheless, only half of those affected by PAH survive the next seven years after diagnosis.