Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Indicators for risk of heart disease are higher in passive smokers

Exposure to second-hand smoke at work, home or elsewhere results in a disproportionate rise in markers that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, University of Nottingham researchers have found.

12 Feb 2007

Minority women less aware of heart disease than white women

U.S. minority women are less aware than white women of their risk for heart problems and stroke, although they are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Journal of Women's Health, Reuters reports.

7 Feb 2007

Risk of developing diabetes increasingly involved in decisions regarding HRT

Although doctors for years have "talked about the health effects of hormones on bones, breasts and women's hearts," diabetes has not been "part of the debate" until last week, when the North American Menopause Society in a revised position statement said that women taking hormone replacement therapy appear to be less likely to develop the disease, the Wall Street Journal reports.

7 Feb 2007

Severely mentally ill have increased risk of death from coronary heart disease and stroke

A large British study indicates that individuals with severe mental illnesses are significantly more likely to die from coronary heart disease and stroke, but not cancer, than those without mental illnesses, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

6 Feb 2007

High blood pressure in pregnancy may lead to heart disease

Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to develop increased coronary calcification later in life than those who maintained a normal blood pressure, researchers said in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 Feb 2007

TV + teenagers = high blood pressure

Teenagers who spend a lot of time planted in front of the TV are more likely to have higher blood pressure, regardless of whether they are overweight.

5 Feb 2007

New understanding of blood pressure gene could lead to new treatments

Research by scientists at UCL (University College London) has clearly demonstrated for the first time the structure and function of a gene crucial to the regulation of blood pressure. The discovery could be important in the search for new treatments for illnesses such as heart disease, the UK's biggest killer.

5 Feb 2007

Gastric surgery the latest idea in the U.S. to resolve obesity in children

The popularity of stomach surgery in the United States to resolve obesity has greatly increased in the last few years but operating on obese children has rarely been done because of the considerable risks involved.

5 Feb 2007

Health effects of passive somking studied in first-of-a-kind clinical study

Until bans on in-flight smoking took effect, beginning in 1988, flight attendants were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

1 Feb 2007

Older womens' risk of heart disease and strokes increased by air pollution

A study by researchers in the U.S. has found that air pollution might be a contributing factor in the incidents of heart disease and strokes in older women.

1 Feb 2007

Early detection of erectile dysfunction helps diagnosis of heart disease

During the month of February, Heart Health Month, the Erectile Dysfunction Institute (EDi) is encouraging all men currently experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED) to visit their cardiologist to be examined for cardiovascular disease.

31 Jan 2007

North American Menopause Society releases guidelines saying HRT beneficial for younger women

The North American Menopause Society on Thursday released a revised position statement that said the benefits of short-term hormone replacement therapy for treatment of menopausal women likely outweigh the risks for younger women, the Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Jan 2007

Linemen more than twice as likely as other players to have metabolic syndrome

After retirement, National Football League (NFL) linemen - generally the heaviest players - are more than twice as likely as other players to have a syndrome that puts them at risk for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases

28 Jan 2007

Lessons from Vioxx litigation

The pharmaceutical industry, academia and government agencies need to work together to restore faith in drug development, say doctors in this weeks' British Medical Journal.

18 Jan 2007

More aid required for chronic conditions in developed world

In an article published in the January 18, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Gerard Anderson, PhD, professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, highlights the need for more international assistance to address chronic non-communicable conditions affecting people living in low and middle income countries.

18 Jan 2007

Fibrinogen molecule structure acts as a molecular spring

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences have shown that a well-known protein structure acts as a molecular spring, explaining one way that clots may stretch and bend under such physical stresses as blood flow.

14 Jan 2007

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca to collaborate on Type 2 diabetes compunds

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca have announced a collaboration to develop and commercialize two investigational compounds being studied for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Both compounds were discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

14 Jan 2007

Simple blood test for the protein NT-proBNP predicts cardiac events

A simple blood test for the protein NT-proBNP accurately predicts the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and death in patients with known cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

9 Jan 2007

Not enough known about testosterone treatment

Little research exists demonstrating that testosterone is both safe from the cardiovascular standpoint and effective to treat sexual dysfunction, reveal Mayo Clinic researchers in two new studies.

9 Jan 2007

Milk eliminates cardiovascular health benefits of tea

Research published on-line in European Heart Journal has found that the protective effect that tea has on the cardiovascular system is totally wiped out by adding milk.

9 Jan 2007