Risk and Resilience in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Genetically Susceptible Individuals
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe disease with a delayed diagnosis and markedly elevated mortality. High-risk populations, such as those with known genetic defects, provide a unique opportunity to determine the features of susceptibility and resilience to PAH. This proposal will fundamentally overturn the prevailing understanding of PAH by creating molecularly-driven signatures of susceptibility and resilience, provide novel insight into disease severity, and potentially identify new therapeutic targets. Funding Source - FDA OOPD
• Children and Adults, aged 15 - 80
• Diagnosed with idiopathic or heritable, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), defined according to standard criteria
• Unaffected Mutation Carriers: Healthy participants with a known BMPR2 gene mutation and normal pulmonary pressure and RV function on echo
• Healthy Controls: Healthy individuals without cardiopulmonary disease.
• WHO functional class I-III
• Stable PAH-specific medication regimen for three months prior to enrollment. Subjects with only a single diuretic adjustment in the prior three months will be included. Adjustments in IV prostacyclin for side effect management are allowed.