The campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of PAH and to improve the number of patients appropriately diagnosed and treated. At the heart of the campaign is www.PAH-info.com, a website dedicated to providing patients and healthcare professionals with accurate and continuously updated information on PAH.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is a life-limiting disease of the pulmonary arteries which connect the lungs to the heart, and it affects an estimated 100,000— 200,000 people around the world. Diagnosis and treatment is often delayed as the early symptoms of PAH— such as breathlessness, chest tightness and fatigue— can be mild and are common to many other conditions such as asthma or anemia.

“Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension affects people of all nations, races, and cultures. Easy-to-use and accurate resources are crucial in educating patients and their families about PAH, medical developments and other relevant news. The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) therefore welcomes the launch of www.PAH-info.com/patients and congratulates Actelion on their new site,” said Mr Rino Aldrighetti, President of PHA (US), the U.S based association which works closely with domestic and international PAH communities to provide support, education, advocacy and awareness of the disease.

Mr Bruno Kopp, the current vice president of PHA Europe, also believes the new website will be a valuable resource for patients and healthcare professionals. “Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is a serious and rare disease but current treatment options have significantly improved the outlook for patients. As an educational resource, we expect this website will play an important role in helping to increase the number of correctly diagnosed patients and encourage best practice in the management and treatment of PAH. One of the main aims of PHA Europe is to continue to set up and develop international PAH support associations and this new website is a very exciting and useful tool in bringing about more awareness and information.”

Topics covered in the patient sections of www.PAH-info.com :

• Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: what is it?

• Is Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension very common?
• What causes Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?
• What are common symptoms of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?
• How is Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension classified?
• How do physicians diagnose Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?
• What can be done to treat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?  

The website’s patient section is supported by high-quality resources such as an extensive list of worldwide patient associations and professional health organizations and additional sources of information. Patients and other users are also able to register for email updates that inform them when new information has been added to the website. Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Posted 07-17-07. (Also see: Pulmonary Hypertension )