Genetics of Iron and a form of high blood pressure

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, or PAH is a type of high blood pressure in our lungs. It also affects the right side of our heart. The right side of the heart pumps blood that needs oxygen to the lungs. In our lungs, it affects the arteries. These are the blood vessels carry the blood from our heart to our lungs. In PAH, the arteries become smaller, or blocked. They can also get destroyed. This causes pressure to builds up. When this happens, the right side of your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your lungs. Over time, his causes your heart muscle to get weak or fail. There is no cure for PAH. But, we can treat it. Gene changes we are born with can lead to PAH. Diet drugs and illegal drugs can cause PAH. Other heart conditions can also cause PAH. Symptoms of PAH include shortness of breath. Feeling tired. Feeling dizzy or fainting. Swelling in your ankles and legs. Short periods of fast heart beats for no reason. The first three of these are also signs of anemia. That is when you do not have enough iron in your blood. Iron helps carry oxygen in red blood cells. We have simple lab tests to check how much iron is in our blood. Gene changes can play a role in low iron too. Scientists think that there might be a link between low iron and risk for PAH. They will use BioVU to look for people with low iron. They will check for gene changes linked to low iron. They will also check if any of these patients are at risk for or have PAH. In patients with PAH, they will see if the gene changes affected how well we could treat it. The goal is to learn how gene changes affect iron levels in our blood. And our risk for PAH. And if these overlap. Their results could help us better treat both. We may also be able to tell who might be at risk for PAH. This could help us prevent it, or slow it down.