Researchers found that inflammation in the lungs of rats, triggered by a common viral infection like the flu, may activate a once silent genetic defect and cause pulmonary hypertension.
Past research has shown that many patients with an inherited form of pulmonary hypertension carried a mutation in the BMPR2 gene. But whether the mutation causes pulmonary hypertension has been unclear.
Researchers followed rats with a mutated BMPR2 gene for one year, and found that the rats remained healthy. But, the rats developed pulmonary hypertension—marked by damage to the lung vessels—once researchers injected the rats with a virus containing a protein that triggers temporary lung inflammation.
In humans, lung inflammation is a result of environmental triggers, such as flu or bacterial infection, or chronic diseases like asthma. The findings, published in Circulation, suggest that people who may be at risk for pulmonary hypertension should limit potential environmental causes of lung inflammation to prevent disease development. The study was funded by NHLBI.