Scientists have discovered the first therapeutic target to protect the heart in patients with pulmonary hypertension. The results of the study were published in the journal Science Developments.
In a new study, researchers found that levels of a protein called MCJ are elevated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Its content was also higher in mice with oxygen deficiency and in pigs with heart damage. It turned out that its production activates a special signaling pathway that prepares the heart to work in conditions of oxygen deficiency. Medications aimed at increasing MCJ levels may help preserve heart function during lung injury.
Increased blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to the lungs puts constant pressure on the heart as it has to work harder to pump blood to the lungs. It affects 15 to 50 per million of the world’s population. The main risk factors are the presence of COPD, smoking, excess weight, genetic predisposition and long-term exposure to oxygen deficiency. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting. Currently available treatments aim to lower blood pressure but do not improve heart function, making heart failure the leading cause of death in pulmonary hypertension.
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