The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is hosting the virtual workshop "Methamphetamine-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH): Diagnosis, Prevalence, Susceptibility, and Therapy" on August 28, 2026.

PAH is a rare but fatal cardiopulmonary disease characterized by debilitating symptoms and progressive right heart failure. Methamphetamine-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (MA-PAH) is an increasingly appreciated condition, and is characterized by elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries due to methamphetamine use. While MA-PAH is otherwise indistinguishable in its presentation and pathologic features from iPAH, recent studies indicate that disease progression and severity are increased in MA-PAH. This field is very much in its infancy and much remains unknown regarding why this is increasingly common (especially in Western states), how it can be medically defined, potential biomarkers for detection/monitoring progression, the effects of comorbidities (e.g., HIV), identified mechanisms and genetic influences that increase susceptibility, and effective behavioral and clinical therapies/interventions with the potential to improve clinical outcomes.

This 1-day virtual workshop will bring together leaders in the field to discuss the current state of this potentially impactful public health concern. The overriding goal of this workshop is to increase awareness of MA-PAH, provide a better understanding of clinical features, and begin discussions on how this issue can best be addressed. During the first session of the workshop, presenters will detail how MA-PAH is clinically defined, discuss the latest epidemiological data for MA-PAH, begin discussions on the potential contribution of comorbidities, and provide insights on how much the incidence has increased relative to other causes of PAH. The second session will discuss the possible role of genetics and what is known about potential mechanisms. The third session will discuss possible interventions for PAH and addiction, and how they may impact MA-PAH progression.

Workshop Co-chairs:

Navneet Dhillon, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Steven Shoptaw, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Franz Rischard, DO, University of Arizona

Event Details:

Registration is free, and required to attend. This event will also be videocast and recorded.

Contact:

For questions or to request reasonable accommodations to participate in this event, please email Julia D'Albora at dalborajc@nih.gov.

For more information on the event, and updates to the agenda, please visit the event website.