Shortly after her diagnosis, Mary Beth Schumacher went online to learn all she could about pulmonary hypertension.

The lesson left her gasping.

  Heart failure patients who regularly exercise fare better and feel better about their lives than do similar patients who do not work out on a regular basis, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

PHA Australia advises that you always check with your own doctor before starting any excercise program.

 A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Center for Lung Science and Health demonstrated that thyroid hormone (T3) rapidly facilitates the removal of fluid that can flood the airspaces of the lung.

 Out of every 10 cases, nine are in female patients. Women are commonly diagnosed when they are pregnant, leaving soon-to-be mothers with a choice they can’t imagine facing -- until now.

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 The last decade has witnessed remarkable improvements in the understanding and treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Data were presented at American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) meeting on several studies focusing on new approaches to treating PAH.

Thanks to a simple blood test, doctors no longer have to wait. Researchers at Allegheny General Hospital found that certain proteins and enzymes are elevated in patients with pulmonary hypertension -- the more severe the disease, the higher those levels. For the first time, a blood test can determine who does or doesn't have pulmonary hypertension, its severity and the disease's progression.

 HOT OFF THE PRESS

 Soliris is the first product approved for the treatment of patients with PNH in the U.S. and Europe. PNH is a rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder defined by the destruction of red blood cells, or hemolysis. In patients with PNH, hemolysis can cause life-threatening thromboses, recurrent pain, kidney disease, disabling fatigue, impaired quality of life, severe anemia, pulmonary hypertension, shortness of breath and intermittent episodes of dark-colored urine (hemoglobinuria).

 Rivaroxaban is a new type of drug that targets an enzyme known as Factor Xa, which is involved in the blood-clotting process, while aspirin and Plavix, by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) and Sanofi Aventis SA(SNY), help keep blood platelets from sticking together. All three agents could be used together.

 A new microsensor could help millions of patients who rely on blood-thinning drugs safely treat themselves.

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