Pulmonary Hypertension

Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, occurs when a person feels that they are unable, or less able than usual, to take enough air into the lungs. The sensation of shortness of breath is subjective. For instance, some people may describe the feeling as a sensation of suffocating. For others, they may feel unable to take a deep breath. Regardless of the exact description, experiencing shortness of breath is uncomfortable and may lead to additional symptoms or complications. Shortness of breath may occur occasionally or frequently, and it has many different potential causes. Keep reading to learn more about the causes, treatment, and prevention methods associated with shortness of breath. Many people experience shortness of breath during and after exercise. It can also occur due to changes in altitude or temperature. Usually, however, there is more than one cause of shortness of breath. Shortness of breath has a large variety of possible causes. The most common include: Learn more about the c...

Stephan Schmitz By Charles Piller Aug. 12, 2021 , 2:19 PM Juan Celedón, a respected pulmonary researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, wanted to address an urgent national problem. Severe asthma attacks send hundreds of thousands of U.S. children to the hospital every year. For decades, researchers have suspected extra vitamin D—essential for bone growth and healthy development, and also an immune modulator in children and adults—might help them. In 2016, Celedón and colleagues launched a major trial to test that premise. With $4.3 million in funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and support from a vitamin company and a drug firm, they enrolled asthmatic kids who h...

April is National Stress Awareness Month. Research shows when you have fewer stressors in your daily life, you have increased emotional stability, better moods and overall superior health. And you don't have to spend a lot of time to make that happen. Studies show just five minutes of chill a day have mental and physical benefits to keep you engaged, calm and energized. These short work breaks lead to higher job engagement and performance as well as better sleep, increased immunity, lower blood pressure, improved digestion and increased emotional well-being. See my recent piece on "The Surprising Benefits of 'Microbreaks' For Engagement, Productivity and Career Success" at Forbes.com here. 10 Ways To Celebrate National Stress Awareness Month What if you took five minutes during your workday to celebrate the momentous occasion of stress awareness during the month of April? There are 1440 minutes in a day. Five minutes of chill still leaves you 1,435 minut...

The study, which was co-led by Imperial College London, found that 82 per cent of all people with hypertension, around one billion, live in low and middle-income countries.  The researchers found that Canada, Peru and Switzerland had among the lowest prevalence of hypertension in the world in 2019, while some of the highest rates were seen in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Paraguay for women and Hungary, Paraguay and Poland for men. A 'public health failure' Although it is straightforward to diagnose hypertension and relatively easy to treat the condition with low-cost drugs, the study revealed significant gaps in diagnosis and treatment. About 580 million people with hypertension were unaware of their condition because they were never diagnosed. The study also indicated that more than half of people with hypertension, or a total of 720 million people, were not receiving the treatment that they needed. Men and women in Canada, Iceland and the Republic of Kor...

Content Sponsored by Janssen US Pulmonary Hypertension On behalf of Janssen, I would like to extend my appreciation to all healthcare providers (HCPs) working to ensure patients receive the essential care they need during these challenging times, especially those with progressive diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and who are committed to caring for people living with this rare disease. In the year that I have been leading the Janssen Pulmonary Hypertension team in the US, I am proud of the advances we have made in developing tools and resources to help raise awareness of screening and facilitate assessment of PAH in patients at risk. Our aim is to support clinicians tasked with identifying and diagnosing people living with PAH. One such tool is the development of the DETECT Screening Tool app to help identify people who may be at a higher risk of PAH. As rheumatologists, you understand that patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc),...

ESC updates guidelines in various treatment areas on 5-year cycles and releases them throughout its annual Congress. Other updates scheduled this year are valvular heart disease (Saturday), cardiac pacing (Sunday), and cardiovascular disease prevention (Monday). The heart failure guidelines were simultaneously published in the European Heart Journal . Chronic heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly. It usually occurs because the heart has become too weak or stiff. Ejection fraction, which is the percentage of the blood within the ventricles that is ejected during the cardiac cycle, is the most important measure in heart failure. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HPpEF), also called diastolic heart failure, involves impaired relaxation of the left ventricle. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), or systolic systolic heart failure, involves impaired contraction of the left ventricle. HFpEF is on the rise ...

On the North Coast, we are seeing the highest number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. When the COVID-19 vaccine was released, people began to imagine how it would feel to attend weddings, concerts, and birthday parties with friends and family, hugging each other and seeing smiles that were hidden by masks for the last year and a half. Our return to normal felt within reach, and now that we're backsliding, living in isolation feels depressing and overwhelming. Humans are social creatures. Being separated from the people we love for long periods can lead to feelings of stress. If you're experiencing the following symptoms, you're not alone: Feeling irritation, anger or in denial Feeling uncertain, nervous or anxious Lacking motivation Feeling tired, overwhelmed or burned out Feeling sad or depressed Having trouble sleeping Having trouble concentrating The question is, what can we do about it? According to behavioral health experts, there are sev...