Co-Authored By: Dr. Akshay Muralidhar Scleroderma is part of a special group of diseases called connective tissue diseases. This group of diseases includes lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, mixed connective tissue disease and many others. A key feature of these diseases is that the disease may involve multiple parts of their body including skin, joints, … [Read more...]
Salt, the Hidden Enemy
Salt is necessary for life. Without any salt our bodies are unable to work properly. However, in modern society the pendulum has swung very far towards excessive salt in our diet. As the world’s population has shifted from a rural setting towards cities, our diets have changed dramatically. Prepared foods and processed foods now occupy a large part of … [Read more...]
Is My Pulmonary Hypertension Doctor an Expert?
A 25-year old woman develops slowly progressive shortness of breath. After two years of wrong turns in her health care she eventually gets an echocardiogram that suggests pulmonary hypertension. She has a right heart catheterization that confirms severe PAH. She is referred to a local pulmonologist who starts her on one oral … [Read more...]
Phase 1 Study of Stem Cells for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Stem cells are special types of cells that have the ability to renew themselves and develop into different types of tissues. There are a variety of different types of stem cells but the general concept is that we all have a small reservoir of these cells in our bodies. These cells allow us to repair and replenish the cells that make up the different … [Read more...]
Do I Need Oxygen?
One of the most common concerns that patients with lung disease express is whether or not they need to use oxygen. This is an important question for many patients with PAH. How Your Lungs Work with PAH A quick review of basic physiology: air that we breathe travels through our airways down into the business part of our lungs … [Read more...]
