How Does Body Weight Affect PAH?

A new article based on Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry (PHAR) data suggests body weight plays a complex, important role in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The authors found that overweight and obese PH patients were more symptomatic, showed reduced capability to walk, had more frequent hospitalizations and reported worse quality of life. Despite those findings, the overweight and obese patients appeared to live longer than their counterparts in lower weight ranges.

The study by Jeff Min, M.D., and colleagues recently was published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. The article was based on their study, “Obesity in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: The Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry.” The study investigated the effects of patient weight on day-to-day activities.

The PHAR database collects data from patients treated at PHA-accredited PH Care Centers (PHCC). The data helps researchers learn more about rare diseases.

PHCCs, which have expertise in pulmonary hypertension, can enroll PH patients with their permission in the registry to anonymously collect data on demographics, medical history, diagnostic test results, medication and patient-reported quality-of-life.