| Popis: |
Over the past decade, significant advances in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients have occurred. These advances have come as a result of collective efforts by physicians, scientists, patient advocacy organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and public and private grants-awarding agencies. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) registry was instrumental in characterizing the devastating nature of this disease1 and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-supported research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying basic pulmonary vascular tone regulation and abnormal vasoconstriction have been pivotal in identifying the therapeutic potential of the PAH drugs now in clinical practice. With the new therapies, the prognosis of PAH is improving and predictors of poor clinical prognosis have become better appreciated. However, better disease phenotyping, elucidating pathogenesis, and decreasing morbidity and mortality remain as research goals. The limitations of current therapeutic options necessitate that lung vascular and pulmonary hypertension research remains a high priority for the NHLBI. |
