Category: Heart Health

Your heart keeps your body running. And we keep you on top of everything you need to know about heart health so that you’re in the know.

Protecting Your Heart from The Heat

With many areas of the country facing triple digit temperatures and summer heat and humidity elsewhere, experts from the American Heart Association (AHA), are urging people to take extra steps to protect their hearts. Precautions are especially important for older adults and individuals with high blood pressure, obesity or a history of heart disease and… Continue reading Protecting Your Heart from The Heat

Blood-Pressure Meds and Memory

Older adults taking blood pressure-lowering medications known to cross the blood-brain barrier had better memory recall over time compared to those taking other types of medicines to treat high blood pressure, according to new research published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a risk factor for cognitive decline… Continue reading Blood-Pressure Meds and Memory

Smoking Continues Despite Knowledge of Risks

Many adults with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) continue to smoke cigarettes and/or use other tobacco products, despite knowing it increases their risk of having another cardiovascular event, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association (AHA). To understand how… Continue reading Smoking Continues Despite Knowledge of Risks

Economics and Heart Care

Lower–income adults in the United States were significantly less likely to be screened for cardiovascular disease (CVD) or receive counseling for CVD risk factors, according to research presented in May 2021 at the American Heart Association’s (AHA} Quality of Care & Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2020. The virtual conference, eld May 15-16, is a premier… Continue reading Economics and Heart Care

Exercise and Heart Health

A common congenital heart defect may reduce your ability to exercise especially as you grow older, regardless of whether it was corrected with surgery or previously deemed too small for treatment, according to research published in September 2020 in the Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA),  an open access journal of the American Heart… Continue reading Exercise and Heart Health

Sex after A Stroke

Stroke survivors often have difficulty with sex, and it can affect their lives beyond the bedroom. A new study offers fresh insight on the barriers – and how health care providers might help. Researchers interviewed 150 stroke patients at a medical center in Lima, Peru. According to a news release from the American Heart Association… Continue reading Sex after A Stroke

Repeat Heart Attacks Drop, but Survivors Still Face Danger

After surviving a heart attack, the proportion of patients who experience a repeat attack within a year fell between 2008 and 2017, with a greater decline in women than men, according to new research published in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation. Despite the improvement, the rate of recurrent heart attacks, hospitalization for heart… Continue reading Repeat Heart Attacks Drop, but Survivors Still Face Danger

Spouses of ICU Patients Have Their Own Heart Attack Risk

Having a spouse in a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) may make a person more likely to have a heart attack or cardiac-related hospitalization themselves within a few weeks of the ICU admission, according to new research published in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation. “Spouses of ICU patients should pay attention to their… Continue reading Spouses of ICU Patients Have Their Own Heart Attack Risk

Leg Fat and Hypertension

Adults with fatter legs — meaning they have a higher percentage of total body fat tissue in their legs — were less likely than those with a lower percentage to have high blood pressure, according to new research to be presented at the virtual American Heart Association’s Hypertension 2020 Scientific Sessions. The meeting is a… Continue reading Leg Fat and Hypertension

Psychosocial Well-Being May Help Heart Health in Black Adults

Feeling optimistic, that you have a sense of purpose in life and that you are in control of your environment – characteristics of psychosocial resilience – are associated with having better cardiovascular health among Black adults, independent of neighborhood context, according to a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association… Continue reading Psychosocial Well-Being May Help Heart Health in Black Adults

Experts Concerned about Rise in Hypertension Cases

Although access to medicine for controlling blood pressure has broadened, the number of Americans with uncontrolled hypertension is alarming, especially in communities of color, health officials said. “The latest research published in JAMA [the Journal of the American Medical Association] showing that a greater proportion of Americans, particularly communities of color, were living with uncontrolled… Continue reading Experts Concerned about Rise in Hypertension Cases

Experts Urge Diet Evaluation at Regular Checkups

The time has come for routine health care visits to include some form of dietary assessment and counseling, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published in October 2020 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. The statement, written by a group of nutrition and cardiovascular… Continue reading Experts Urge Diet Evaluation at Regular Checkups

High Blood Pressure Is Out of Control in America

Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, and about 75% of those with high blood pressure don’t have it under control. High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke and the most significant controllable risk factor for these conditions. It is also a contributing factor for worst outcomes for… Continue reading High Blood Pressure Is Out of Control in America

Study: Telehealth Could Be Lifesaver for Hypertension Patients

People enrolled in a pharmacist-led telemonitoring program to control high blood pressure were about half as likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared to those who received routine primary care, according to new research published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association (AHA) journal. Researchers, led by study author Karen L. Margolis, M.D., M.P.H.,… Continue reading Study: Telehealth Could Be Lifesaver for Hypertension Patients

Unequal Treatment for Female Heart Attack Patients?

When the heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs after a heart attack, women ages 18-55 get less aggressive care in the hospital and are more likely to die prior to discharge than men the same age, according to new research in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association (AHA) journal.… Continue reading Unequal Treatment for Female Heart Attack Patients?

High Blood Pressure Awareness and Treatment Declining

Nearly half of adults in the U.S. live with high blood pressure, also called hypertension. It is currently defined as having a blood pressure reading of at least 130/80 mm Hg or taking blood pressure medications for the condition. High blood pressure is the main risk factor for stroke. It can also contribute to other… Continue reading High Blood Pressure Awareness and Treatment Declining

Blood Pressure Meds Help Even The Frailest Patients

Taking blood pressure medication as prescribed helped even the frailest elderly people (65 and older) live longer, and the healthiest older people had the biggest survival boost, according to a large study in northern Italy published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. “We knew that high blood pressure medication was protective in general among… Continue reading Blood Pressure Meds Help Even The Frailest Patients