The MPN AA is pleased to be able to publicise an article in Leukemia and Lymphoma titled ‘Ruxolitinib and heart failure outcomes among patients with myelofibrosis’.
It is from a team led by US cardiologist, Dr Orly Leiva and will be of interest to patients and haematologists alike.
The article explains that MF patients are at increased risk of both heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. (Pulmonary hypertension means that blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs is too high. It is different from normal blood pressure as it is a specific problem with lung circulation. In pulmonary hypertension, blood vessels in the lungs become narrow, stiff or blocked. This makes it more difficult for blood to move through, so pressure builds up. This means the right side of the heart has to work much harder to push blood into the lungs. And over time, that strain may cause: shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness or fainting, swollen ankles or legs and chest discomfort).
The study informing the article was done in a retrospective cohort of 144 MF patients who had not had any prior heart failure.
The authors found that ruxolitinib treatment was associated with a lower risk of hospitalisation due to heart failure as well as a lower incidence of any new pulmonary hypertension.
The authors also concluded that ‘A pathophysiologic basis exists for the role of JAK-STAT inhibition in ameliorating heart failure and cardiovascular risk in patients with MPNs, however prospective, randomized studies are needed to confirm our findings.’
The full article is free to access HERE.
