Genetics of high blood pressure in the lung

Summary

High blood pressure in the lung is called pulmonary hypertension or PH. PH is a very serious condition which causes the heart to struggle to pump blood against this pressure. The heart can cope for some time but eventually fails leading to patients struggling to stay active, breathe and causes death within months to years of getting diagnosed at the hospital. Some people get PH because of genetics, meaning they inherit it or get random changes to their DNA in genes which control how their blood vessels grow or behave. We aim to study the genetic data available on PH patients, using other patients in this study for comparison (called a ‘control’ group) to find out where in their DNA the changes are. We will then combine this information with clinical information we have collected on the patients (e.g. age, sex, drugs they are given, survival) as well as research information we generate which includes complex analysis of blood samples called ‘omics’. We hope that this work will help explain why some people get PH and help us work out new ways to treat the condition.