When heart failure patients receive a heart pumping device known as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), their caregivers seem to suffer, too – at least initially, according to research in Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. In a study of 50… Continue reading Caregivers Face Strain When Heart Patients Get Assistive Device
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.
Dietary Sodium’s Impact May Not Be Offset by Other Aspects of A Diet
An international study suggests other aspects of the diet may not offset the harmful effect of sodium on blood pressure. The study, published in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension, also reaffirms the need for widespread sodium reduction in the food supply. Researchers reviewed data on sodium intake and intake of 80 nutrients, such as… Continue reading Dietary Sodium’s Impact May Not Be Offset by Other Aspects of A Diet
Hypertension and Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing
Guidelines used to evaluate peak blood pressure during cardiopulmonary exercise testing were last updated in 1996 and may need to be revised to take into account age and gender, according to new data from the University of Illinois at Chicago. “This is the first systemic effort to establish maximum exercise blood pressure norms in more… Continue reading Hypertension and Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing
10 Questions to Ask about Your Heart-Disease Risk
Editor’s note: Heart disease is the number-one killer among women in the U.S. It’s essential that you know your own risk, and what you can do to lower it. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging, are ten crucial questions to ask your doctor or nurse. If you think you won’t remember… Continue reading 10 Questions to Ask about Your Heart-Disease Risk
More Stroke Patients May Receive Crucial Treatments under New Guideline
More patients could be eligible for critical treatments to remove or dissolve blood clots that cause strokes, according to a new treatment guideline issued by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The guideline, based on the most recent science available, was published in the Association’s journal Stroke, and released during the American Stroke Association’s International… Continue reading More Stroke Patients May Receive Crucial Treatments under New Guideline
American Heart Association: Some Breast Cancer Treatments May Increase Heart Disease Risk
Breast cancer patients may be at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, and may benefit from a treatment approach that weighs the benefits of specific therapies against potential damage to the heart, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in its journal Circulation. The statement is an… Continue reading American Heart Association: Some Breast Cancer Treatments May Increase Heart Disease Risk
Stroke Patients Now Have Better Chance of Living Normal Lives
Researchers say that recent progress in techniques to restore blood flow to areas of the brain endangered by stroke or clogged arteries have resulted in an “explosive evolution” of those procedures. Historically, the introduction of operating microscopes enabled surgeons to perform delicate microsurgeries to clear clogged arteries and remove blood clots that cause strokes. More… Continue reading Stroke Patients Now Have Better Chance of Living Normal Lives
No More Excuses: Tips for Having a Healthy Heart
February is American Heart Month, making it a great time to pause and consider what we are doing for our hearts. After all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 610,000 people die every year in the U.S. because of heart disease. That’s one out of every fourth deaths. Heart disease is… Continue reading No More Excuses: Tips for Having a Healthy Heart
Neighborhood Factors May Predict Heart Failure
Neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors in low-income areas may significantly predict heart failure risk beyond individual health factors and socioeconomic status, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. According to this news release from the AHA, the study compared census tract data on socioeconomic deprivation – a clustering of… Continue reading Neighborhood Factors May Predict Heart Failure
Controlling Hypertension: A Multi-Level Approach Gets Best Results
Patients with high blood pressure can best achieve control of the condition via both physician and non-physician treatment approaches, according to a review published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Despite strong evidence that antihypertensive medications and lifestyle modifications reduce blood… Continue reading Controlling Hypertension: A Multi-Level Approach Gets Best Results
Popular Blood Pressure Medicine, a Diuretic, Is Linked with Increased Risk of Skin Cancer
Research done at The University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Cancer Society and published in December 2017 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows a connection between one of the most common medications for hypertension and skin cancer. The generic name of the drug, a diuretic commoly called a “water pill”,… Continue reading Popular Blood Pressure Medicine, a Diuretic, Is Linked with Increased Risk of Skin Cancer
New Hypertension Guidelines: 8 Tips to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
At 481 pages, the new blood pressure guidelines are being discussed a lot, but being read infrequently. Many news reports are simply rehashing the old Puritanical admonition, “Avoid everything pleasurable.” Since that’s not what the research recommends, it’s important to know what’s both real and new in the guidelines—for your health and happiness. Overall, a… Continue reading New Hypertension Guidelines: 8 Tips to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Treating Periodontitis May Help Lower Blood Pressure
Treatment for gum disease, or periodontitis, significantly lowered blood pressure among Chinese patients at risk for developing high blood pressure, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017 in Anaheim, California in November, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. A release… Continue reading Treating Periodontitis May Help Lower Blood Pressure
Men Likelier than Women to Get CPR in Public Places
Men are more likely to receive bystander CPR in public locations compared to women, and they are more likely to survive after the life-saving measure, according to preliminary research presented in November at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.… Continue reading Men Likelier than Women to Get CPR in Public Places
Sex Rarely A Heart-Stopping Activity
Sexual activity is rarely associated with sudden cardiac arrest, a life-threatening malfunction of the heart’s electrical system causing the heart to suddenly stop beating, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. To determine whether… Continue reading Sex Rarely A Heart-Stopping Activity
Heart Disease and Disability
Older adults who have a healthy heart may lower their risk of disability, according to new research. The American Heart Association (AHA) defines “ideal cardiovascular health” based on four health behaviors (current smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and healthy diet) and three health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure), and fasting blood glucose level). Recently,… Continue reading Heart Disease and Disability
New Guidelines Expand Definition of High Blood Pressure
Experts are resetting the numbers indicating high blood pressure, and that means that 46 percent of U.S. adults now are identified as having the condition, compared with 32 percent under the previous definition. Those guidelines, released Monday, Nov. 14, by the American Heart Association (AHA), also redefine the condition and provide tactics for doctors to… Continue reading New Guidelines Expand Definition of High Blood Pressure
Startling New Research Shows That Heart Stents for Chest Pain May Simply Have a Placebo Effect for Some Patients
Coronary artery stents are lifesaving for heart attack patients, but new research suggests that the placebo effect may be larger than previously thought. The findings come from the ORBITA trial, which stands for “Objective Randomised Blinded Investigation With Optimal Medical Therapy of Angioplasty in Stable Angina”. (Editor’s note: That is the British spelling of the… Continue reading Startling New Research Shows That Heart Stents for Chest Pain May Simply Have a Placebo Effect for Some Patients