May 4-10 is Mental Health Week in Canada, and the theme is “Come Together, Canada.” PHA Canada Knowledge Philanthropist Lisa Harder talks about the meaning of connection. This year’s theme for Mental Health Week is all about the importance of connectedness in our overall well-being. Both social connections and connection with ourselves helps to foster resilience and to reduce the sense of isolation we may feel (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2026). While we can recogn

Calgary/Edmonton, AB (May 4, 2026) The Pulmonary Hypertension Association of Canada (PHA Canada), along with expert physicians, are calling on Alberta to fund sotatercept (Winrevair), a new treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). “Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare, universally fatal disease involving high blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs, putting stress on the right side of the heart. This causes heart failure, shortness of breath with min

Researchers looked at whether cigarette smoking affected the diagnosis and disease progression of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). They found that smoking tended to delay the diagnosis of PAH but not CTEPH. They also found that male smokers with PAH fared worse than female smokers. Read the Pulmonology article

Two companies have announced good results from clinical trials in the past few weeks. Merck’s Phase 2 proof-of-concept CADENCE trial of two different doses of sotatercept for some Group 2 pulmonary hypertension patients succeeded. Trial participants had combined post- and precapillary pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (CpcPH-HFpEF). Participants who received sotatercept showed significant improvements in their pulmonary vascular resista

This study tried to identify new environmental triggers or genetic causes in heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension. They found several potential genes for further exploration, but they also found consistent toxin exposure on one of the families they were investigating. They conclude that environmental triggers should also be investigated in heritable PAH. Read the Scientific Reports article

April 7 is National Caregiver Day Many pulmonary hypertension patients have caregivers, whether they’re the partners, parents, or children of patients. Caregivers make a major difference in patients’ lives, helping them manage their pulmonary hypertension and daily routines. Nearly half of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension rely on the help of a caregiver, underscoring just how essential this support truly is. Caregivers often take on a wide range of responsibiliti

This study identified factors associated with a delayed diagnosis of PAH and found that earlier diagnosis (<6 months) and treatment initiation were associated with significantly improved survival. More early diagnosis patients saw a pulmonologist before another provider. Read the Pulmonary Circulation article

A review of 12 studies evaluating selexipag in pediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension found that it improved functional capacity and mPAP, especially when added to existing therapies. About 60% of pediatric patients had side effects, mostly mild. Read the Pediatric Cardiology article

This International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment to recognize and celebrate women in all aspects of pulmonary hypertension research: women who agree to participate in clinical trials, women who are researchers, and women who are on health care teams at clinics where research takes place. In the past, it wasn’t unusual for women to be left out of clinical trials, particularly women of childbearing age. Because women were excluded from research studies, we don’t fully unders

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