LONDON — Researchers say they have identified genes that are responsible for a fatal heart condition that can only be cured by heart and lung transplants.<br /><br />Pulmonary arterial hypertension, PAH, kills half of those with the condition within five years, but little was known about its cause, according to the BBC. <br /><br />Scientists say they have now discovered five genes that cause the illness. The results were published in the Journal Nature Communications. <br /><br />PAH causes the arteries carrying blood from the heart to the lungs to harden and thicken, eventually leading to heart failure.<br /><br />Researchers analyzed the genomes of more than 1,000 PAH patients and found that mutations in five genes were responsible for the disease. <br /><br />In people suffering from PAH, these five genes fail to produce the proteins that are needed for the structure, function and regulation of the body's tissues, according to the scientists.<br /><br />Now that the genes have been identified, the next step will be to develop new ways to treat the condition.
