Until recently, researchers believed a rare, severe form of pulmonary hypertension existed solely in humans, but new research from East Lansing-based Michigan State University revealed the condition exists in dogs as well.
Pulmonary hypertension only affects 15 to 50 people per million each year in the United States. Of those, pulmonary veno-occlusive disease is diagnosed in roughly 10 percent of cases where no other cause of the disease has been determined.
Although rare in humans, PVOD was recently identified in dogs by researchers from MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. According to lead author Kurt Williams, PhD, the discovery could affect human medicine because the canine version of the diseases may serve as a model for treating the condition human.
"It's cases like this that help to remind us how important veterinary medicine is to medicine in general," said Dr. Williams. "Our colleagues in the human medical community are becoming much more aware of the many diseases shared by our respective patients and how together we can learn from each other."
More articles on pulmonary medicine:
Depression exacerbates COPD symptoms, study finds
Combating respiratory comprise through early intervention
Imaging innovation enables easier diagnosis of fungal lung infections