An aim to improve the outlook for people suffering from pulmonary hypertension is thefocus of research at Griffith University.
Pulmonary hypertension occurs when the pressure of the blood travelling between theheart and the lungs, becomes excessive.
Whilst still a relatively rare disease, many subgroups of patients such as those withconnective tissue diseases and chronic lung disease, are at increased risk of developingpulmonary hypertension.
A key feature of the condition is a marked decrease in exercise tolerance and anincreased shortness of breath on mild exertion.
New research led by Professor Norm Morris from the Griffith Health Institute’s HeartFoundation Research Centre has devised a simple, but effective way of evaluating theseverity of pulmonary hypertension during exercise which may assist in the diagnosis andlong-term management of this condition.
Better prediction of disease severity
By adding simple measurements of gas exchange to a standard clinical outcomemeasure, the Six Minute Walk Test, Professor Morris has shown it is able to better predictdisease severity in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
“The prognosis for pulmonary hypertension is unfortunately very poor,” said ProfessorMorris, speaking from The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) Brisbane, where he ispromoting a new and exciting cardiac magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) machine with2011 Tour de France champion Cadel Evans.
As an ambassador for the promotion of sustainability with Siemens Australia, Evans ispromoting the use of this device for measuring athlete performance and to drive clinicalresearch and understanding of complex diseases such as pulmonary hypertension,particularly during exercise.
Now the research undertaken by Professor Morris and his team is entering a new andexciting stage which will see them comparing their results with those obtained duringexercise trials in the cardiac MRI machine.
“This state-of-the-art system at TPCH is the only one in Australia in which patients canexercise and simultaneously have cardiac MRI,” he said.
“The cardiac MRI is definitely the gold standard, non-invasive way of measuring cardiacfunction during exercise.
“However, the high cost of this technology and the fact that it is available in only a veryfew regions of the country mean that assessibility for pulmonary hypertension patients isdifficult.
“By combining simple gas exchange measures with a standard clinical measure, the SixMinute Walk Test, we believe that in the future we may provide health professionals witha far simpler and cheaper way of evaluating the severity of diseases such as pulmonaryhypertension.
“If we can help to diagnose this severe condition earlier, we can also provide a betterquality of life for patients too.”