PAH Initiative, building knowledge to impact patient career

PAH Initiative: A resource to help healthcare providers treat adult patients with PAH

The PAH Initiative, sponsored by United Therapeutics, is committed to providing information and resources to assist HCPs in providing care and treatment for those impacted by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Whether you occasionally see patients with PAH, or you are a dedicated PAH specialist, the PAH Initiative provides clinically useful information and practical tools to help you improve the lives of your patients with PAH.

On this website, you will find:

  • Information on the diagnosis and treatment of PAH
  • An in-depth discussion on the pathophysiology of PAH
  • Data showing the importance of risk assessment in determining prognosis
  • Risk calculators to assess the risk score of patients
  • Information on treatment approaches
  • Resources including podcasts by experts in PAH, recent publications about PAH, and more

Calculate risk quickly

The PAH Initiative offers online access to risk calculation tools. Choose among 5 risk calculators, including the REVEAL 2.0 and COMPERA 2.0 4-risk strata calculators.

Find recent publications

Stay up-to-date on the best practices and emerging data in PAH risk assessment.

Improving risk status is today's treatment goal

PAH is a complex, progressive disease where high blood pressure in the lungs eventually causes right heart failure.1 As the understanding of PAH has evolved, patient management and care have also evolved. Twenty-five years ago, parenteral prostacyclin therapy was the only PAH-specific medication available.2 Now, more than 12 different medications have been approved for PAH. In addition, advances in formulations and administration routes—including parenteral, inhaled, and oral—give you more options for tailored management of your patients.2-4

Today, PAH risk assessment has become the standard of care to determine initial therapy and appropriate treatment escalation. Frequent risk calculation and early intervention with appropriate PAH medications are critical to improving outcomes in patients.4

According to the latest PAH treatment guidelines, you should:

  • Set clear treatment goals related to improved patient prognosis, including:
    • Achieving near-normalization of the right heart
    • Aiming for low-risk status
  • Assess risk score at diagnosis of PAH and as often as every 3 months afterward to help inform treatment decisions4
  • Escalate treatment as recommended by evidence-based treatment algorithms to achieve treatment goals4

No matter your familiarity with PAH, the PAH Initiative provides tools and resources designed to broaden your understanding of PAH. The goal is to enable you to help your patients feel better today with the goal of improving their prognosis.

What is the role of right heart monitoring in PAH?

Near-normalization of the right heart is a treatment goal associated with improved risk status and improved long-term prognosis.4-7

Explore the Right Heart

Why is routine risk calculation necessary?

Calculating patient risk scores aids in the determination of prognosis, initial therapy choice, response to therapy, and the need for adjustments to treatment.4

Integrate Risk Calculation

How is “stable” different from low risk?

Patients who remained at intermediate risk at first follow-up had a worse prognosis than those who improved to low risk.8*

Assess PAH Prognosis
*Based on the COMPERA registry, a European prospective observational study (2009-2016) of 1588 patients with PAH. The survival analysis included 1073 patients. European countries included in the study were Austria, Belgium, Germany (~80%), Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.8
Is your FC II patient low risk article thumbnail

Is your FC II patient really at low risk?

A peer-reviewed article by Dr. Sandeep Sahay shows that even patients with PAH who are categorized as FC II can be at increased risk for hospitalization or death.7

Download Article (PDF)
PAH Care Today Podcast 3 of 4 with Raymond Benza, MD and Vallerie Mclaughlin, MD on Therapy Escalation

Podcast: Listen to expert insights into optimizing patient outcomes

Dr. Raymond Benza and Dr. Vallerie McLaughlin discuss how to clinically apply risk status to escalate therapy and improve patient prognosis.

Listen Now
PAH Initiative patient education materials questionnaire thumbnail

Find patient education materials

Enhance the experience for your patients with a waiting room checklist, risk assessment handout, and other resources.

View Resources

Are you—or someone you know—new to treating PAH patients?

The PAH Disease State Curriculum is a self-guided, self-paced curriculum that provides practical information for HCPs in PAH.

Learn More About the PAH Curriculum
FC=Functional Class; HCP=healthcare practitioner.References: 1. Gaine S, et al. Eur Respir Rev. 2017;26(146):170095. 2. Lajoie AC, et al. Pulm Circ. 2017;7(2):312-325. 3. Galiè N, et al. Eur Heart J. 2016;37(1):67-119. 4. Humbert M, et al. Eur Heart J. 2022;43(38):3618-3731. 5. Badagliacca R, et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2021;203(4):484-492. 6. Miotti C, et al. J Clin Med. 2021;10(4):619. 7. Sahay S, et al. PLoS One. 2020;15(11):e0241504. 8. Hoeper MM, et al. Eur Respir J. 2017;50:1700740.