New research from the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine may serve as a model for a rare severe form of pulmonary hypertension in humans. 

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, or PVOD, has been classified only as a human lung disease until now. There are very few effective treatment options for PVOD and a lung transplant often becomes the best choice. 

“Our research is the first to document the existence of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, or PVOD, in dogs,” said Kurt Williams, the lead author of the study and an expert in respiratory pathology in MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “PVOD is considered one of the most severe forms of pulmonary hypertension.”

PVOD is a poorly understood disease not only because it is so rare, but also because there have been no other animals known to have the disease. Williams' finding changes this.

“It’s cases like this that help to remind us how important veterinary medicine is to medicine in general,” he said. “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.”

Read the full story at MSU Today.