Active clinical trials for "Hypertension, Pulmonary"

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a disease that is characterized by vasoconstriction of small vessels of the lung. Many cases do have proliferation of endothelial cells within these vessels. A possible influence of polymorphisms of genes relevant for inflammatory and endothelial processes is suspected. Especially patients with chronic heart failure can develope PH. The reasons therefore are lacking. The researchers investigate different polymorphism and the influence of these on pulmonary artery pressure (measured invasively) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and patients with primary pulmonary hypertension.

The study hypothesis is that a quantitative index can be derived from Tc-99m myocardial perfusion scans that accurately identifies the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy and pulmonary hypertension. Echocardiography provides the reference standard.

The investigators propose to confirm that normotensive and hypertensive pulmonary arteries are fractal, as well as define if the FD correlates to disease severity when compared to available data such as six-minute walk and right heart catheterization measurements.

The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiology of pulmonary hypertension in individuals with HIV infection and to investigate its pathogenesis. We propose to conduct a prospective observational cohort study to determine the association between highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and viral suppression in HIV-infected patients who have been identified to have pre-clinical pulmonary hypertension (Aim 1). In addition, we will investigate the mechanistic role of the HIV-1 Nef protein and HHV-8 infection in the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension in individuals with HIV (Aim 2). We will also investigate endothelial function in HIV-infected patients with pulmonary hypertension (Aim 3).

The goal of our study is to correlate data from non-invasive tests such as perfusion lung scans with hemodynamic measurements from right heart catherizations.

This study, conducted by NIH, the University of Bamako in Mali, Africa, and Tulane University will examine the relationships between hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), nitric oxide (a gas important in regulating blood vessel dilation and blood flow) and pulmonary hypertension in patients with malaria. Malaria is among the leading causes of death in many of the world s poorest countries. It is caused by a parasite that is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Malian children ages 1-5 years are eligible for participation in this study. They include children with asymptomatic infection, uncomplicated disease, and severe disease. Uninfected controls are also included. Upon enrollment, participants have a medical history and physical examination, echocardiogram (ultrasound test of heart function) and blood tests. In addition, all participants (infected children and controls) have repeat evaluations when healthy, approximately 7 to10 days following successful therapy.

A prospective study of the use of two novel MRI techniques (oxygen-enhanced and fourier decomposition MRI) in the initial diagnosis and follow-up of patients with Pulmonary Hypertension. The investigators believe these techniques may present a novel set of imaging biomarkers that may be used for risk stratification, prediction of treatment response and longitudinal disease monitoring. The reserach MRI is in addition to standard of care and will not affect treatment decisions.

This research study wants to find markers in the blood that may help to predict a patient's future risk of developing a disease called CTEPH. The study also wants to see if active monitoring for signs and symptoms of CTEPH after a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs) can improve the diagnosis of CTEPH. Patients who enroll in this study will have periodic blood draws and clinic and/or phone follow-up to monitor for signs and symptoms of CTEPH. Patients' medical records will also be reviewed for information related to pulmonary embolisms and/or CTEPH.

The prevalence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after pulmonary embolism (PE) varies widely (0.4% to 8.8%) in the literature. This large variation could be due to the inclusion of patients with pre-existing CTEPH revealed on the occasion of a recurrence of PE. However, the absence of hemodynamic data when diagnosing PE does not allow to distinguish these patients. A prospective multicentric study involving 146 patients showed that the majority of patients with CTEPH during follow-up had a pulmonary hypertension unknown at the time of PE diagnosis. It is necessary to confirm these results in a broader study. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cumulative incidence of CTEPH after a PE.

The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate dynamic changes in both pulmonary artery pressure and ductus arteriosus during the first 72 hours after birth.