American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2012
Immune and inflammatory cell involvement in the pathology of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling. Recent studies have revealed that immune and inflammatory responses play a crucial role in pathogenesis of idiopathic PAH. ⋯ Our findings reveal altered perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration in pulmonary vascular lesions of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Targeting attraction of inflammatory cells by blocking stromal-derived factor-1 may be a novel approach for treatment of PAH.