March is National Nutrition month, and again the Dietitians of Canada have chosen Nourish to Flourish  as the theme, highlighting “highlights the profound connections between food and overall well-being, emphasizing the transformative role of nutrition in our lives”. It’s a good reminder that the everyday choices we make around food can have a big impact on how we feel. Nutrition can be top of mind for people with pulmonary hypertension, who often need to keep a low-sodium di

Two companies have announced the results of clinical trials of drugs for pulmonary arterial hypertension recently, neatly illustrating successful and unsuccessful results. Last week, Gossamer Bio announced that their drug, seralutinib, failed to meet the primary endpoint of its phase 3 PROSERA clinical trial . Gossamer’s stock price dropped precipitously. Interestingly, one of the reasons the study failed may have been an unusually good response to the placebo in some locatio

Patients with portopulmonary hypertension were not included in clinical trials for sotatercept. This case report found that sotatercept helped one patient with portopulmonary hypertension, who was then able to get a liver transplant. However, they did note some risks. Read the Communications Medicine article

Pulmonary hypertension patients are at risk of heart failure, and conversely, heart failure patients are at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. This Heart Month , we’re posting tips for keeping your heart strong and healthy. We’re learning more about how important social connections are—not only for our mental health, but for our physical health too! Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke . Social connections are so important for

What would you say to yourself at the moment everything changed? In this honest and inspiring talk, Derek Henderson of Toronto  reflects on what he would tell his newly diagnosed self after learning he had CTEPH  in 2012. From the shock of no longer being able to bike to undergoing PEA (PTE) surgery  and adapting to lifelong blood thinners, Derek shares a journey shaped by resilience, humor, and hard-earned perspective. Guided by his motto — “If you’re going to be a duck, lea

Pulmonary hypertension patients are at risk of heart failure, and conversely, heart failure patients are at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. This Heart Month , we’re posting tips for keeping your heart strong and healthy. Everyone knows that exercise is good for your heart, and research shows it’s generally safe for pulmonary hypertension patients . But did you know that recent research  found that switching up your exercise, instead of always doing the same workout

Living Grief Like many of you, I was raised in a culture where death was darkness, morose and devastating.  When we wore black and spoke in hushed tones around the topic, bit never directly about it. IT... the word was taboo. Analogies of "going to sleep forever" and "crossing over to a better place" made the subject unattainable.  My arm’s length relationship with death shrouded its mystery in a dark cloak. And then, at 37 years young, I learned that PAH was taking over. I h

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis, looking at 13 studies with about 700 participants in total with pulmonary hypertension (PH). They found that exercise improved 6-minute walk distance and was consistently well-tolerated by PH patients, and there were no serious adverse events directly linked to the exercise activities in the studies. Read the European Journal of Applied Physiology article

Pulmonary hypertension patients are at risk of heart failure, and conversely, heart failure patients are at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. This Heart Month, we’re posting tips for keeping your heart strong and healthy. Congenital heart disease is a defect present at birth that affects the structure of the heart. In some cases, blood leaks from the left side of the heart to the right side, which increases blood flow in the pulmonary arteries and lungs. This can res

Pulmonary hypertension patients are at risk of heart failure, and conversely, heart failure patients are at risk of developing pulmonary hypertension. This Heart Month, we’re posting tips for keeping your heart strong and healthy. Many pulmonary hypertension patients need to eat a low-salt diet, which helps with heart health. Switching to lower-sodium foods in today’s food environment can be tough! So many packaged and processed foods are high in sodium. One good tip is to fo

February is Black History Month in Canada. We join Canadian Heritage  in honouring Black excellence in Canada and celebrating the remarkable contributions that Black Canadians make to Canadian society every day. We’ve known for a long time that Black people in Canada don’t receive equitable health care , and as a result have worse health outcomes. Systemic racism in the health system—which doesn’t imply that individual health care providers are racist, but that the system as

Today I received the first phone call. An unknown doctor. Emotionless and professional, her question strikes quickly to the task at hand: "I have received paperwork. Tell me what's going on." Okay, big breath, I've been preparing for this... and yet I am disarmed by the sudden line of questioning from a stranger. Something deep within propels me forward and I find the simple words to define my truth:  "I have been living with pulmonary arterial hypertension for 5 years. IV me

A study found that chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertensio (CTEPH) patients had significantly more of an antioxidant enzyme (peroxiredoxin 2, or PRDX2) in their bloodstream compared to healthy patients. Using rats, the researchers determined that PRDX2 helped reduce inflammation, suggesting that it has a protective role and might have therapeutic use. Read the Scientific Reports article

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)  is rare, serious—and too often misunderstood. In Season 6 of The eXpand Podcast , advocates and medical experts explore why this life-threatening illness is frequently misdiagnosed, how it reshapes lives, and what new treatments offer for the future. Across three powerful episodes , the series reveals the personal, emotional, and clinical sides of PAH—bringing attention to an “invisible illness” that deserves to be seen, heard, and bette

In late 2025, the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) brought together people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) from around the world to create a series of short videos focused on empowerment—told by patients, for patients. Canada’s own Jane Sernoskie is featured in the video “Become a patient expert and advocate.” Thank you, Jane, for sharing your voice, and congratulations on being part of this international initiative. "Living with pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a

This study examined the causes of delayed diagnosis (diagnosis after approximately 22 months) of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and whether an earlier diagnosis (within six months) leads to better outcomes. They identified several factors associated with delayed diagnosis and found that earlier diagnosis and treatment were associated with better survival. Read the Pulmonary Circulation article

Sometimes the challenges we face in life lead us to make a difference in the world. When we were younger, our mom was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension. This sudden change in our lives at such a young age put us in a position where we had to develop a growth mindset and focus on caring for our mom, as the way she has cared for us ever since we came into this world. Seeing her fight this battle every day when she was struggling to do everyday tasks such as walking up the s

A relatively simple, inexpensive, and minimally invasive test for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) would aid in the diagnosis of this disease. This study found that levels of the NOTCH3 extracellular domain (NOTCH3-ECD) shed into blood serum could be used as a biomarker for IPAH. They found that NOTCH3-ECD levels did correlate with the presence and severity of IPAH. Read the Nature Medicine article

As pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients became sicker, their self-reported quality of life was significantly worse than their doctors recognized. This discordance was associated both with worse health-related quality of life scores and a higher WHO functional class score, so the sickest patients had the least agreement with their doctors. The researchers note that "it's self-evident that providers cannot deliver optimal treatment strategies nor best outcomes if they

Looking at the racial and ethnic breakdown of patients with PAH and patients who take part in clinical trials, the authors conclude that the goal of equitable representation has not yet been reached. The article includes a useful table of potential barriers to inclusive clinical trials and potential solutions. Read the Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension article