Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Angioplasty no better than drugs for heart attack victims who delay treatment

In what will come as a surprise to many doctors, researchers in the United States how found that contrary to current belief, heart attack survivors with mild or no symptoms who wait three days or more to seek medical help, will achieve little benefit from the procedures used to open clogged arteries.

15 Nov 2006

Doha Declaration on life-saving drugs for poor countries not happening

Despite the fact that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) granted a special exemption five years ago, in order that poor countries could access life-saving drug, poor people in developing countries are still dying needlessly because global pharmaceutical giants continue to monopolise drugs for diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

15 Nov 2006

Successor to Vioxx fails to quell concerns

When drug company Merck revealed the the results of a study this week over it's successor to Vioxx, the new arthritis drug Arcoxia, it did little to quell concerns about both the use and the safety of the new drug.

15 Nov 2006

Botox could fix your knees as well as your wrinkles

The preliminary results of a new study have found that Botox, better known for getting rid of wrinkles, significantly reduced severe pain from osteoarthritis of the knee and also improved the knee's function.

15 Nov 2006

Stem cell therapy promises hope for muscular dystrophy victims

Italian scientists, by using new stem cell therapy on dogs with muscular dystrophy, have improved the dogs condition to such an extent that the dogs were able to walk and even jump again.

15 Nov 2006

Investigational drug tolvaptan treats hyponatremia

Results of the two largest studies on hyponatremia, SALT-1 and SALT-2, presented Nov. 14 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, found that the investigational drug tolvaptan treated hyponatremia -- water intoxication -- faster and more effectively than available treatments.

14 Nov 2006

Gender differences in heart failure

Women tend to live longer with heart failure than do men, and they also tend to have a less severe form of the disease, which is characterized by reduced performance of the heart muscle, according to a study by Duke University Medical Center cardiologists.

14 Nov 2006

Food can have an impact in preventing cancer

With cancer, researchers don't believe "you are what you eat"; that disease is always a direct result of what is, or what isn't, on your dinner plate.

14 Nov 2006

Broken heart syndrome common

In the largest review of "broken heart syndrome" patients ever conducted, Mayo Clinic researchers studied 100 patients and found symptoms recurred in 1 out of 10 patients over a four-year period, and that patients experiencing physical stress had a worse survival rate than those under emotional stress.

14 Nov 2006

Researchers identify risk factors for healthy survival in men

Avoiding health risk factors in midlife such as smoking, being overweight, excessive drinking and hypertension is associated with a longer and healthier life in men, according to a study in the November 15 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on men's health.

14 Nov 2006

Tamiflu to carry warning about abnormal behaviour

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. (FDA) is recommending that patients who take Tamiflu be closely monitored for signs of abnormal behaviour.

14 Nov 2006

Safety gear for young athletes offers little protection from sudden death

New research has shown that the sports safety gear worn by young athletes may not give them protection from sudden death caused by a blow to the chest.

14 Nov 2006

Speeding up initial treatment means more victims survive heart attacks

According to a newly published study, far more heart attack victims would survive if hospitals applied some simple, timesaving strategies.

14 Nov 2006

FDA to impose stricter medical device safety standards

FDA on Thursday released recommendations for improving post-market surveillance of medical devices, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports.

13 Nov 2006

Pharmacy care programs for elderly improve health outcomes

A pharmacy care program for elderly patients increases medication adherence, which results in improved health outcomes, according to a study posted online by JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2006

Faster heart attack patients treated, the better their likelihood of survival

Hospitals that provide the most rapid emergency angioplasty have specific strategies to expedite the care of patients with heart attacks, researchers at Yale School of Medicine report in the November 13 New England Journal of Medicine.

13 Nov 2006

Pioglitazone may help slow progression of artery wall thickening

A medication given to diabetics to improve their body's sensitivity to insulin also appears to slow the thickening of their artery walls, according to a study posted online by JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Nov 2006

Link between common lifestyle factors, immune system and cancer

The immune system is fickle, and easily influenced by more than just viruses and bacteria. It can be swayed by the seemingly unexpected, such as by what we eat, for example, and affected by surprising sources.

13 Nov 2006

Thiazolidinediones may reduce cardiovascular risks

A drug commonly used to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin may slow the progression of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

13 Nov 2006

Study shows Diovan reduced urinary protein excretion in patients with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure

In patients with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, the blood pressure-lowering medication Diovan (valsartan) significantly reduced urinary protein excretion, with high doses providing the greatest sustained reduction , according to data presented at the Amer ican Heart Association's (AHA) Annual Scientific Sessions.

13 Nov 2006